Replace Your Thermostat with Nest Learning Thermostat

Replace Your Thermostat with Nest Learning Thermostat

Nest Labs just announced their new learning thermostat yesterday which seems really really intriguing.  The story may be more interesting than the actual product, but let's see.  My former company was a cleantech company called Bio Architecture Lab which is converting low cost seaweeds (macroalgae) into biofuels and renewable chemicals.  Change the world technology, but it will take a long time and a significant amount of capital to get to market.  They are making a great run at the opportunity with large partnerships in Chile, Norway, and with DuPont in the US.  So, I have a lot of interest in clean technology and global warming.  (By the way, due to the global economic meltdown, global warming and clean technology have definitely gotten sidelined as people are more focused on work and the media is most focused on Occupy Wall Street and wealth inequality).

Yesterday, the father of Apple's iPod and iPhone Tony Fadell announced his new company called Nest Labs which wants you to replace your thermostat with the Nest Learning Thermostat.  So why is one of the most sought after technologists in the world focused on a product to replace your thermostat?

In Tony Fadell's words:

• He had an amazing run with Apple and no other job creating mobile phones could ever compare to Apple.
• He wanted to do something meaningful and reducing global warming / climate change was a big problem to solve.
• 50% of a home's energy consumption is controlled by the thermostat.
• The thermostat is not a loved object.  It is built for the contractor and not the consumer or home owner.

So, over the past two years, Tony Fadell and his team have created a LEARNING THERMOSTAT with algorithms to automatically manage the climate in a home, save money and energy.  The video, articles and pictures are extremely compelling.  Links to some of the articles, videos, and pictures below.

Nest Labs - Maker of the Nest Learning Thermostat

Wired Magazine Article on Nest Learning Thermostat

Nest Labs Video Tour

NYTimes Article on Nest Labs

BUT the catch is that it costs $250 to replace your thermostat with the Nest Learning Thermostat, which is very very expensive compared to your standard Carrier or Honeywell thermostat.  That's 5-10x more expensive than the average programmable thermostat.

SO, would you pay $250 to replace your thermostat with the Nest Learning Thermostat?