Originally Posted By: AZjeff
Interesting tech but I don't understand the need beyond a basic programmable.
$241 on Amazon?
Are you getting the door locks next?
Everyone has different needs. I work varying days. My wife stays at home. Kids in and out all the time. No way to set a "normal" schedule for our home.
I have had (and used) programmable thermostats for years, setting temps a little warmer during the day, cooling a little more at night, sometimes remembering to set temp to "away" mode when we all left for a while.
Helped reduce the electric bill vs a standard thermostat.
I bought a Lux GEO Wifi thermostat last year (was ~$100). I programmed it pretty much the same as the other one, but this one has a Geo-fence, that when our phones are beyond a specific distance, it automatically goes into away mode. when we come back into the area, it goes back to normal mode. This has dropped our electric bill since it knows when we are not home and adjusts automatically. Also nice that it starts cooling again before we get back.
I could not see spending the $200+ for the Nest (as well as the concerns over what Google can do with it), but for $100, well worth it IMO.