Nest Learning Thermostat to Improve the Comfort of Your Nest

Background

Steve Jobs will not only be remembered for his visionary genius in the lifestyle changes his technology brought to the media and music genres, but also for his creative team. One example is Tony Fadell, the hardware engineer that approached Apple with the original idea of the iPod. The iPod did for music what the Mac did for computers. Both brought technology to a higher level. Since the iPod's introduction in 2001, it has evolved many times. Over 8 years Fadell led the team that produced 18 generations of the iPod and 3 versions of the iPhone.

When Fadell left Apple in 2008 he promised Jobs that he wouldn't compete with Apple. Fadell took time off to figure out what new idea would excite his creativity again enough to bring him out of retirement. True to his word, on October 25, 2011 Fadell revealed the project he and his copartner, former iPhone software manager Matt Rogers, have been developing for the past 18 months. So what is this new revolutionary product? A thermostat. Yes, that's correct, a thermostat. But this is no ordinary thermostat. This is the iPod of thermostats. When building his green home, Fadell found a less than impressive selection of thermostats, even high-end options. He researched and found that a properly programmed thermostat can amount to a 20% energy savings and a change of just one degree can cut energy costs by 5%. Approximately 50% of a home's energy bill is controlled by a thermostat. Why does it have to be an ugly beige box on the wall? With these facts and his engineering knowledge, he formed the Nest Labs and developed the Nest learning thermostat.

Aesthetic style and Hidden Functions Menu

As with the iPod and iPhone, Fadell adds a unique aesthetic style to the simple round dial made of high quality stainless steel rings which reflects the light and color around it. The rings act as a dial that can be turned left or right in order to manually adjust the temperature up or down. The main menu is cleverly hidden. In order to access the main menu, the black button in the middle is tapped and the menu lights up. The menu includes an away function that allows for optimum energy savings when the user is not at home. Fadell incorporated the smart phone technology that allows remote access from an iPhone or iPad app.

Learning Program and Energy Savings

Instead of a programmable program that only around 10% of consumers bother to set, he developed a more user-friendly interface learning program. After gathering pattern information, the program eventually programs itself with little input from the user. The green leaf is a visual feedback that displays when heating or cooling wisely. When the temperature is initially set by the user, the thermostat will adjust itself by an almost undetectable 1 or 2 degrees resulting in a 5 - 10% instant energy savings. The Nest includes five different sensors - temperature, humidity, light, near field and far field. The sensors can sense when the user is a home, sunlight from windows, and room lighting. The latter two sensors act much like the motion sensor of a security system.

Fadell emphasizes that his product focuses on the end-user and their needs. As an end-user, he desired a product that would save energy, be appealing and easy to use. As an engineer, he was able to draw on his experience and develop the product and offer it to the market. The cost of $249 may at first seem somewhat high, but the potential savings factor will more than pay for itself. At the time of this writing the initial presales have temporarily caused the shutdown of new orders until early 2012.

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