This content was created by Derek Cole. This content was uploaded by Derek Cole. This is a podcast excerpt titled "Thoughts on a NEST Thermostat" (recorded 2018-11-27). It features a single speaker (labeled SPEAKER A) giving an informal, conversational monologue about the Google/Nest smart thermostat—how it learns user habits and programs itself, its sensors and algorithms, benefits (convenience, avoids user misprogramming) and drawbacks (non-replaceable battery, potential device failure), with a casual comparison to older Honeywell thermostats.
Chapters
I like it. I got impressed when you threw out the word algorithm. I was surprised I could actually pronounce algorithm without messing up. Yeah, big words. All right. This is a special show. This is what is emergency. We're black and white on all this by the way. Make em feel safe. We only go color when we're serious and we understand. Questions? What are your thoughts on a nest thermostat? A nest thermostat? For those of you who don't know what a nest thermostat is, they were bought by Google for a lot of money. Was it? It was a lot of money. So it's a thermostat that you put on your wall and it's a smart thermostat. Meaning actually you don't program it. It is a program of thermostat but it learns your habits as you have it installed. So after a week or so it realizes that hey, they adjust the thermostat at 7am every morning, they adjust it at 8am, they adjust it at 5pm, they adjust it at 9pm Then it's going to know your habits and it will start programming for you. So I think it's a good thermostat. The downside to it is there is no way to change the batteries. If it dies, it's dead. It's kind of a self containing product. So if anything happens to it, there's nothing you can do about it. You just have to get a new one. But I think it's a good product. I mean the problem Energy Star has had with program of thermostats is the fact that, okay, it is code. We have to install a programmable thermostat at your house. When we install a new system, the problem is people don't use the program or if they don't use it, or if they use it, they don't use it properly. So the nest thermostat really takes that equation out of it. It learns how you operate in your house and programs for you. So it's a program thermostat where you don't have to set programs to it. It learns how you behave. It knows when you're home, it has sensors to know when it's dark outside, when it's middle of the day. It knows all this. It's got all these algorithms built into it. So it's gonna, it's gonna know what's going on. So I think it's a good thermostat but like anything, it has a few downsides as well. And it's a big circle, you know, like the old fashioned Honeywell, big circles. So it kind of gives you that comfort of being in 1970 as well. So I think it's really good. So there you go. Was that. That was our. Wasn't it? I don't. I wasn't alive in the 70s. That was. That was pretty much right. Yeah. I like it. I got impressed when you threw up the word algorithm. I. I was. I was surprised I could actually pronounce algorithm without messing up. Yeah. Big words. All right. This is a special show. What is emergency? We're black and white on all this, by the way. They can feel safe. We only go color when we're serious and we understand questions.
