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Smart thermostats are the gateway to smart-home life. Three Phase Thermostat
The problem with regulating your home’s heating and cooling with a standard thermostat is that you probably won’t do it. You’ll set it and then hardly touch it again until the season changes. The problem with many smart-home devices is that the learning curve is difficult, so you never really get the most out of them.
Nest smart thermostats make it easy.
Nest’s most-advanced smart thermostat features a larger, crisper, and more useful display and wide compatibility with HVAC systems.
Nest’s most-advanced smart thermostat features a larger, crisper, and more useful display and wide compatibility with HVAC systems.
Nest’s Wi-Fi–connected thermostats, including the Nest Learning Thermostat and the Nest Thermostat, solve both of those problems with a smart design and simple programming. They work so well that you’ll probably want to add more smarts to your home.
For as long as we've been reviewing smart thermostats, a Nest device has always ranked among our favorites. The combination of a self-learning mode, Home and Away settings, energy-saving features, and an attractive design makes Nest models the easiest-to-use thermostats we’ve ever tested.
Both current Nest models install just like any other thermostat (and even come with the screwdriver), but unlike other models, which tend to have confusing menus and complicated programming, a Nest thermostat programs itself.
The flagship Nest Learning Thermostat learns your temperature preferences based on your usage, and then it creates a schedule for you. To adjust that, you can turn the outer dial (as on an old-fashioned thermostat), tap the smartphone app, or ask your smart speaker to turn up the heat. It even sends you a monthly report of your energy use.
Two versions of the Nest are currently available: the Nest Learning Thermostat (3rd generation) and the Nest Thermostat. The latter version is cheaper, but it doesn’t include Nest’s learning feature or the ability to work with additional temperature sensors. Both have the helpful Home/Away feature that automatically adjusts your HVAC system when you leave home, saving you energy. Both also monitor your HVAC system for problems.
The Nest Learning Thermostat is compatible with Nest’s remote temperature sensors, which can help even out the temperature in a large home. Check your heating and cooling system’s compatibility before deciding which Nest model is right for you.
A couple of former Apple engineers started Nest as an independent company in 2010, and they launched their first Nest thermostat a year later, making thermostats cool for the first time.
That original model continues to receive most of the performance updates of the newer ones, so a Nest thermostat never goes out of date.
By 2014, Google acquired the company, which is why the products are formally called Google Nest Thermostats, but that’s a mouthful. Nest used to promote wide compatibility with other products, but Google ended that in 2019, and integration capabilities (such as the ability to work with Philips Hue Lights) were scuttled.
Look for the green leaf in your app to make sure the temperatures you set are optimizing your energy savings. Consider adding Nest Temperature Sensors, which are $40 each and can help schedule the temperature in whatever rooms are important to you at different times of the day.
A version of this post was originally published as part of our 2020 “52 Things We Love” series, an ode to Wirecutter picks that have stood the test of time. Read the entire series.
A smart thermostat like our pick, the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium , automates your home’s heating and cooling system to maximize comfort and efficiency.
Depending on your heating and cooling system, a smart thermostat can slash energy use and your bills. But for some people, they may only provide convenience.
The temperature of your bedroom plays a major role in the quality of your sleep. A smart thermostat ensures you find that sweet spot.
Our smart-home staffers aren’t the only ones who love their gadgets. Here are the most loved connected-home devices from the Wirecutter staff.
Grant Clauser is the senior editor for the smart-home and audio/video categories. He has been reporting on technology since 1999 and has been an invited speaker at events including CES and CEDIA. He has completed certification classes from THX, ISF, and Control4. He also teaches poetry classes. Really.
Gas Water Heater Thermostat Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times. Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions. Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time).