NEST - who's had it installed?

System

GreenBo wrote: »

I'm interested in Nest from a money saving perspective. Now that I've got my Electricity consumption locked down and controlled as much as possible (using a Smappee device) I'm on to my heating which is my next biggest cost. Has anyone done the maths yet and calculated how much it's actually saving them yet? also if you could let me know heating type (gas or oil) and size/type of home, that would be great. I'm not with N-Power so would have to fork out for this myself and would like user experience from a money saving perspective before I buy. :beer:

This question comes up time and time again.

http://www.beama.org.uk/en/utilities...4819ADC06FBFBC

If you are truly interested in energy saving that look at zoning; however, do not be seduced by the 40% headline figure. I have it installed and there are most certainly savings to be made but the ROI is not good if you were already energy saving conscious. My stats show a 25% saving in gas on HW heating as my tank is controlled in the range 50 to 60C.

My central heating bills are considerably lower as we do not heat rooms not is use. Unlike traditional TRVs, wifi TRVs remain fully closed when the room is above target temp and we can profile the rooms as we use them. By this I mean, our bedroom/ES warms up in the morning but cools down after we are up and about; we keep the hall, study, family room/kitchen and landing warm during the day; heat the living room in the evening and bedroom again just before bed.

My guess is that we will save 20 to 25% on gas overall this year; however, my annual expenditure was only £450 last year. As I get older, the real advantage to me of zoning is control and comfort. We are more comfortable because we can control the heat in our living room without having to heat any other room should we so wish.

AndyPK

a review of uswtich

http://www.uswitch.com/gas-electricity/guides/nest-review-smart-thermostats/?ref=email~insight~120115~uswitch___&utm_campaign=insight&utm_content=120115&utm_medium=email&utm_source=uswitch

GreenBo

Thanks Andy, that link to those reviews was a useful read. I've just found out my friend has bought a Nest so I'm going to see how he gets on for a few months before I take the plunge.

Nada666

lstar337 wrote: »

You would save more using a standard timer.

And save even more not using a twice-a-day timer but only using a two hour boost button.

lstar337

Nada666 wrote: »

And save even more not using a twice-a-day timer but only using a two hour boost button.

And save even more by having no controls and leaving it all turned off!

SaveMyMoney_3

I've had a Nest unit fitted and I never had any problems with it, sure having it plugged into a wall socket (via usb) for power was a bit annoying, but that's the only thing I can find to moan about it I'm honest.

Gotta love the iphone control thingymabob I really like that - esp. as it's so easy to use. Plus if my wifi or mains ever goes off, the Nest will keep on going too. Only queston is where to get one from - shop around yes, but try some local heating firms too as they have the knowledge and expertise at hand like st heating.

st999

Plus if my wifi or mains ever goes off, the Nest will keep on going too.

Fat lot of good that is unless your gas heating manages to work without electricity.

guywilko

It is brilliant

Generation3 has hot water control and geofencing via iPhone app.

Ignore M22kk's advice/warning. It sounds like he had a bad install and nest customer services gave up on his dogmatism.

If you have a wire running from your thermostat to near your boiler....nest will use this to connect the heat link base unit to the round thermostat.

If your thermostat is wireless, nest stat will need a 240v socket to plug the USB charger into.

It will work without internet but loses some functionality.

My house is old with 2 ft thick walls. The wireless connection to router is strong -signal strength 50 and 65%

Cant recommend it enough

uva_caresi

m22kk56 wrote: »

Hi

I had mine installed today. I'm getting it un-installed and refunded tomorrow.

My home is two years old, with a Danfoss RET230P wall mounted thermostat connected to the mains. I wanted to replace this with the NEST system and paid for it through their website (including their installation)

Unfortunately after the installer had left I started getting low power warnings. I spent 2 hours on the phone to their support before we finally worked out that NEST is not compatible with the voltage. My Danfoss ran on 2.5 volts whereas NEST requires at least 12 volts.

So essentially the NEST system is not compatible as a replacement wall thermostat and this will be the case for a substantial proportion of homes in the UK. Very disappointing as it is a fabulous looking product....

I have installed NEST at various locations in the past and there are always considerations. However, i'm not sure of your situation. NEST replaces the Danfoss unit. Which as i understand it can be used as either a 230 switch or volt free contact for your boiler. It's the boiler connections that dictate how the stat is wired.

So if the 230P was wired on the volt free contacts at the boiler then either use the same on the base unit of the NEST (think all of my installations were 230V) or use the 230v contacts on the boiler subject to referral to manufacturer (boiler) instructions.

The NEST will work on most installations if the guys installing know their stuff. However, it is not always a straightforward installation. As much as Google would like it to be. Every house is different.

danbutler89

I can't comment on Nest but I have used Tado and my own experience is that it constantly malfunctions and a) is prone to leaving the heating on longer than expected, eradicating any supposed savings and b) is prone to refusing to turn the heating on, sometimes for days at a time. You can't get any meaningful technical support because the company aren't responsible either for installation or for maintenance. My experience is that they simply point the finger at someone else, knowing that the issue will calm down eventually and you'll have no means of demonstrating that it was their poorly designed technology that led to the issue in the first place. If you want to save money on your heating, I would strongly advise you to look first to more traditional means (insulation, warm jumpers, moving to a warm climate, etc) before taking a chance with one of these. The only 'smart' thing about these devices is the marketing!