Nest Smart Thermostat - feedback?

  • After Iowa State won the Big 12, a Cyclone made a wonderful offer to We Will that now increases our match. Now all gifts up to $400,000 between now and the Final 4 will be matched. Please consider giving at We Will Collective.
    This notice can be dismissed using the upper right corner X button.

tplumm

Active Member
Mar 3, 2010
189
117
43
Ankeny
Have read a number of reviews from various sources and looked through some of the comments on Amazon as well. Before I make the investment in the generation 3 version, I would be interested in hearing from you fanatics who may already be using the current or previous generations. Thanks.
 

alarson

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Mar 15, 2006
53,717
61,497
113
Ankeny
Ive looked into it as well.. my main things im still waiting for are remote sensors and the fact that they probably arent too far from a gen 4 release.
 

JP4CY

I'm Mike Jones
Staff member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Dec 19, 2008
63,949
77,013
113
Testifying
I have the first generation and it still works great.
I think second and beyond can control a whole house humidifier.
Make sure you have a dedicated C wire, I didn't with my old Honeywell. I ran new 8 strand wire to the basement and have some spares for future use.

A benefit I wouldn't have originally thought of, if you are away from the house and are wondering if you still have power after a bad storm, connecting to the Nest to see if it is running tells ya that pretty quickly.
 

cysdaone

Member
Mar 18, 2015
47
30
18
Des Moines Area
I looked at both the Nest and Ecobee3. I ended up choosing the Ecobee3 because it has sensors that you can place around your house that detect occupancy and temperature. The thermostat averages the sensors and the thermostat to give to improve the comfort throughout your house.
 
Last edited:

NickTheGreat

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Jan 17, 2012
10,436
4,290
113
Central Iowa
I have an Ecobee 3 in a box, as it was causing problems with my furnace last winter. But I don't have a C wire (supposed to work without one).

I have a spool of new wire that I haven't gotten around to pulling yet. Someday when I have more time!
vauEUgn.gif
 

bos

Legend
Staff member
Apr 10, 2006
29,669
5,255
113
I looked at both the Nest and Ecobee3. I ended up choosing the Ecobee3 because it has sensors that you can place around your house that detect occupancy and temperature. The thermostat averages the sensors and the thermostat to give to improve the comfort throughout your house.


this was me as well. I liked the nest too when I had it, but the ecobee had more wiring options and I like the interface better. Honeywell makes some fantastic news ive been intrigued by.
 

bos

Legend
Staff member
Apr 10, 2006
29,669
5,255
113
I have an Ecobee 3 in a box, as it was causing problems with my furnace last winter. But I don't have a C wire (supposed to work without one).

I have a spool of new wire that I haven't gotten around to pulling yet. Someday when I have more time!
vauEUgn.gif


Dont need a c wire if you use their PEK. Did your 3 not come with a PEK? It would be a heck of a lot easier than running a c wire. It only takes a few minutes.

Should look like this.

$_35.JPG
 

ripvdub

Well-Known Member
Mar 20, 2006
8,302
702
113
Iowa
I am looking at the Ecobee due to the sensors, but other than that they say it's just a fancy programmable thermostat, not as nice as the nest. I don't know which to choose.
 

tim_redd

Well-Known Member
Mar 29, 2006
13,098
7,931
113
41
Ankeny
I have 2nd gen nest. It's good at what it does, but it doesn't do everything and have many options like others have stated.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bos

bos

Legend
Staff member
Apr 10, 2006
29,669
5,255
113
I am looking at the Ecobee due to the sensors, but other than that they say it's just a fancy programmable thermostat, not as nice as the nest. I don't know which to choose.

I mean, really, they all are. But if you like reports on useage, control mobility, etc you can't go wrong with Nest, Ecobee, Honeywell, etc. The thing that sets the eco apart is the sensors, Im not aware of any others that do. See for me, the ecobee sensors made sense. My thermostat sits in a room where the sun comes in right now. So a traditional thermostat would read that room as being warm and ready to go, the other rooms would suffer. I turn off the sensor on my ecobee in that room and use the sensors in the colder rooms instead. However, I also set them to occupation sensing so if those rooms arent occupied it wont care as much.
 
Last edited:

boone7247

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Aug 15, 2011
2,973
884
113
Near the City
I have had a Gen 1 for about 4 and half years now. Really no complaints. Our thermostat isn't in a great location, so sensors would be nice, but we pretty much are able to work it out with the proper settings. It has certainly saved us a lot of money I think. I have had no issues with it. As other have mentioned be sure to have a C wire. Also if gen 4 rumors are abound I would wait to see if they add any functionality that you need with that, can always fall back on the gen 3 for a cheaper price if not.
 

NickTheGreat

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Jan 17, 2012
10,436
4,290
113
Central Iowa
Dont need a c wire if you use their PEK. Did your 3 not come with a PEK? It would be a heck of a lot easier than running a c wire. It only takes a few minutes.

Should look like this.

$_35.JPG

That's what I meant to imply by "supposed to work without one." My house was cold one December morning and I had the HVAC guy out. He apparently hates smart thermostats and told me to throw that POS away. I switched back to the old one, and the furnace worked immediately.

I've read that the PEK can cause some issues, or I'm hoping it might help me out. My problems appeared to be software related on the Ecobee, as the furnace was operating as it was supposed to. The Ecobee just wasn't calling for heat at the right times.

It's a shame, because I really liked the thermostat. The app worked well, it integrates into my home automation stuff, and look nice. The remote sensors were the main reason I bought it, and that aspect worked okay.

I think I'm the only one on the Internet who has had this issue, or at least I've never seen much out there on it.
 

NickTheGreat

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Jan 17, 2012
10,436
4,290
113
Central Iowa
I am looking at the Ecobee due to the sensors, but other than that they say it's just a fancy programmable thermostat, not as nice as the nest. I don't know which to choose.

The difference between an Ecobee and a Nest is pretty much the difference between Android and Apple. They both pretty much do the same thing. Just that one gives the user a little bit more control, and the other is a little prettier with less functionality.

On a related note, the founders of Nest came from Apple. No connection between the companies, just an interesting factoid. ;)
 

bos

Legend
Staff member
Apr 10, 2006
29,669
5,255
113
That's what I meant to imply by "supposed to work without one." My house was cold one December morning and I had the HVAC guy out. He apparently hates smart thermostats and told me to throw that POS away. I switched back to the old one, and the furnace worked immediately.

I've read that the PEK can cause some issues, or I'm hoping it might help me out. My problems appeared to be software related on the Ecobee, as the furnace was operating as it was supposed to. The Ecobee just wasn't calling for heat at the right times.

It's a shame, because I really liked the thermostat. The app worked well, it integrates into my home automation stuff, and look nice. The remote sensors were the main reason I bought it, and that aspect worked okay.

I think I'm the only one on the Internet who has had this issue, or at least I've never seen much out there on it.


They ALL hate smart thermostats. I have yet to meet a HVAC guy who didnt ***** incessantly that I had a thermostat they didnt sell me. (although, i think they ride on honeywell) Some have been outright rude about it and when questioned about their opinion on it, they have zero to answer with. Did you get in touch with Ecobee? I assume they are stumped as well?
 
  • Like
Reactions: NickTheGreat

dahliaclone

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Mar 4, 2007
13,684
20,250
113
Minneapolis
"Nest is awful" is what I basically had to say when I was doing PR for their competitor.
 

dmclone

Well-Known Member
Oct 20, 2006
20,690
4,809
113
50131
I've had my Ecobee since December 19th. I'm still not seeing anything from January's Community Comparisons or Runtime report. Is this normal?
 

NickTheGreat

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Jan 17, 2012
10,436
4,290
113
Central Iowa
They ALL hate smart thermostats. I have yet to meet a HVAC guy who didnt ***** incessantly that I had a thermostat they didnt sell me. (although, i think they ride on honeywell) Some have been outright rude about it and when questioned about their opinion on it, they have zero to answer with. Did you get in touch with Ecobee? I assume they are stumped as well?

I have not contacted them yet. I took it out, and we have a young child and I honestly haven't had the time to mess with it. I'm well out of warranty I'm sure, but it would be a good idea to troubleshoot with Ecobee
 

Tri4Cy

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Apr 4, 2012
1,521
1,421
113
Des Moines
I have a Gen 2 Nest and it has worked great. Mine is in a town house so only one sensor is just fine. I really like having the app because when I'm gone for the weekend it will automatically keep the house cooler and I will then turn off the "away" feature a couple hours before going home. It's like remote start for my house :)

I will share I had an issue with wiring this winter though. Brand new HVAC unit was installed this summer. The new unit overrode my Nest and turned the whole system off because it was too cold out (-17 F). Before contacting my HVAC guy I tried tech support. The Nest agent was very quickly able to troubleshoot the problem and give me recommendations on how to fix it, avoiding the service call. It was simply a missing wire as those above had mentioned. My older unit worked just fine over the years and the new one worked great through the summer but apparently I need to run another wire (or just unplug the AC wire) to prevent problems in the winter.

Over all - I love it and will certainly plan on going with another smart thermostat in future homes.
 

bos

Legend
Staff member
Apr 10, 2006
29,669
5,255
113
Also dont forget, you can get rebates from your energy provider for smart thermostats. Its not a ton but its worth the effort. I got 25 bucks back from MidAmerican for my old nest when I put it in.