Google has unveiled a new version of the Nest thermostat, perhaps the most popular smart home thermostat on the market. It is easy to use and an energy-saving thermostat that you can control from anywhere with the Google Home app. It can even monitor your heating and cooling system and detect potential issues early.
The new Nest thermostat has a simpler and more modern design, with almost no room for a frame around the round display. It’s also a more sustainable design, as the plastic parts contain 49% recycled post-consumer plastic, and the Trim Kit is made from 75% recycled post-consumer plastic.
There is an important change in the thermostat: Nest Thermostat gets rid of the hard-to-read screen and tiny buttons on traditional thermostats. In the new model, this has been replaced by touch controls (strip) on the right side that allows you to navigate the interface and make settings. You can swipe and tap the side of the thermostat to manually adjust the temperature. This design eliminated all moving parts and allowed Google to bring the price down.
Besides, the thermostat is also equipped with Google‘s Soli technology for motion sensing. With the help of this, it can detect if someone is approaching it, and then the screen that shows the current temperature of the room lights up. The radar function can also detect if someone is in the room, and if this is not the case, the temperature can be lowered by a few degrees to save energy.
Also, this Nest Thermostat will not seek to learn and understand your daily routines to adjust the heating system in the most optimal way. Here, the idea is to tell it your hours of absence and presence and to preconfigure scenarios according to your schedule. The device will still allow you to suggest pre-set temperatures meant to balance between comfort and energy savings.
Everything is obviously controllable with Google’s Home app, where you can also set various energy-saving measures. It is also possible to use voice commands to increase or decrease the temperature, either via Alexa or Google Assistant.
Priced at $129.99, the new Nest thermostat is one of the company’s cheapest yet – it’s cheaper than the Nest Learning thermostat released five years ago, which is still listed for $249 in the Google store. The new version of the Nest Thermostat will be released in the US and Canada within a few weeks. It comes in a variety of colors to complement any home: Snow, Charcoal, Sand, and Fog.
