Nest Thermostat E Setup and Review

The first thing I do in every home I have owned or lived in is try to make it as efficient as possible, enter the Nest Thermostat E. A lot of people look at overall cost-benefit analysis, or time-to-return, however, I am a proponent of doing things sooner than later. Sure, it might take 5 years to recover the cost difference in my utilities, but when I have the cash-flow now I view it as an investment into my future self being potentially more tight on money. A couple bucks a month can really help when/if you're paycheck to paycheck. As a serial entrepreneur I know to budget so far in advance (2-3 months for my big ticket items). However, $25 lower electric bill, $10 lower water bill, etc can add up if you are in a project drought.

Why I chose Nest Thermostat E

This was a 2 factor decision; first and foremost I am a very frugal person. I pay attention to my daily utility usages where I have the ability to do so, like my Electric bill which updates daily on their partner app. I use this to evaluate the impact of running the oven/stovetop, washer and dryer, etc. My home is fully electric, being in the South our requirement for heat is low so even the range, water heater, and dryer are electric. The Nest Thermostat E is $80 cheaper than the standard Nest Thermostat on Nest's website. Couple that with the fact that my home requires 2, that's a savings of $160 before discounts. At the time of my purchase they offered $20 off 2 devices, saving me $180. The only feature missing on the Nest Thermostat E is Farsight, the ability to show time/temp/weather.

The second factor in my decision was aesthetics of the devices themselves. I have a very simplistic design taste, I feel that the thermostats should blend in unnoticed in the home, like a light switch. I like the white/frosted finish on the devices, it fits in with my home.

Nest Thermostat E Unboxing

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In the box you get 1 Nest Thermostat E, backplate, a trim plate, and installation guide. It was a nice touch putting the bubble level on the backplate, thought I didn't need it. The box itself has a tab you tear to open, suggesting you check system compatibility first. Kinda nice for in-store purchases, not so much for online,

Installation

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The trim plate holes lined up with the existing holes, so I put it up then fed the wires thru. Next I temporarily put one of the included screws into the top of the device. The backplate snaps into the trim plate, however, it's obvious it's not intended to secure it.

In the included manual you are given labels for the wires, I simply just used the backplate of the original thermostat to map out the wires.

After finishing the wiring, I snapped on the Next Thermostat E face then repeated the steps upstairs.

Setup

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After turning the power back on to the system, the devices automatically turn on and enter setup mode. The first screen you are prompted with is language, then WiFi connectivity. If your curious about my WiFi SSID, here's why. After that you are prompted to tell it what type of heating/cooling you have, then an opportunity to test the systems to ensure you wired it correctly.

Once this is completed you can open the Nest App and register your devices. The in-app instructions walk you thru the process of generating the device code on the thermostat screen.

I set both of my Nest Thermostat E's to a basic schedule, then let it auto-learn home/away as well as improve efficiency. You of course can configure them any way you like. Nest offers suggestions for each setting based on comfort vs efficiency.


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