Review Nest Learning Thermostat Controls Heat & Cooling Remotely Using Smartphone

Technology

This is a compensated post

Content by Janis Brett Elspas, Photos by Raphael Elspas

Humans, I've discovered, have a lot in common with birds. For example, just like winged creatures are meticulous about building nests to properly house and care for baby birds, as people our natural instincts are to create comfortable homes for our children and families. This is especially true when it comes to providing shelter that protects us from the elements, including hot and cold weather throughout the year. The main differences are that -- unlike people -- birds don't live in houses, have energy bills to pay or own smartphones.

Nest w/ Persimmon Tree Reflection, Raphael Elspas, MommyBlogExpert.com

That's where the aptly named Nest Learning Thermostat comes in that allows you to control your home's heater and air conditioning from your smartphone when you are away. As weather turns to cold, I'm finding that this uber cool device that I received from Verizon Wireless has made keeping my family warm and comfortable easier than ever before.

Nest Learning Thermostat in box, MommyBlogExpert.com

It also is helping to reduce our electric and gas bills because it's set to learn the typical temperature changes our family prefers and automatically adjusts to an energy-saving temperature mode whenever there's no one home. That's really important when you consider that, on average, most regular programmable thermostats needlessly cost you 20% more on your heating and air conditioning bills which can add up to an extra cost of over $1000 each year.

The first thing I did was watch the brand's official YouTube to confirm that our home's heating and cooling network is compatible with Nest. Since this doesn't work with high voltage older thermostat systems, I highly recommend watching this YouTube before you purchase the product to make sure it's the right solution for you.



For installation all you do is connect this learning thermostat to your home's Wi-Fi to start saving on energy bills immediately. Even with all those letters and wires I saw when I took our old thermostat off the wall, replacing it with the Nest was a breeze and it took this technically-challenged mom less than a half hour to get it up and running. In the off chance that you have even more thumbs than I do and don't feel comfortable wiring this on your own, Nests offers an option for professional installation.

Additional Nest box contents, MommyBlogExpert.com 

In addition to it being easy to integrate with our existing heating/air conditioning systems, another thing I like about this is that I automatically receive a Nest report by email each month that gives me a bird's eye view of our energy usage.

Now I can turn off home heat from the ski slopes, MommyBlogExpert.com

Nest currently works with 40 smartphones from my iPhone 5 and iPad 2 to my son's Samsung Galaxy S4 -- so either of us can control the home temperature while we're out and about. It also works with many other mobile devices. With it's circular compact shape and diameter of just 3.2 inches, it looks much sleeker and contemporary than the old rectangular thermostat box did, so it is definitely an interior decorating design improvement too.

Nest Learning Thermostat in box, MommyBlogExpert.com

Nest Learning Thermostat is available at Verizon Wireless and other retailers in-store and online for $249.

Image provided by Verizon Wireless

FTC Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. I disclose that I am a Verizon Wireless Lifestyle Blogger brand ambassador and that I received the product featured to facilitate this post. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.