New Nest Thermostat Feature Alerts Homeowners to Potential HVAC Issues

[MacRumors]

Nest thermostat owners are getting a new feature that can detect irregular heating and cooling patters and notify the user about which part of the system likely needs attention.

Starting today, Google is rolling out heating and cooling system (HVAC) alerts, and says it's also testing out the ability to help customers connect with a professional who can help, starting in select cities.

Based on information like your thermostat's historical data and current weather, Nest will learn to detect some unusual HVAC patterns that might indicate something is wrong. If it's taking longer than normal to heat your home, for example, there might be a problem with your heating system--even if you haven't noticed anything.

If the Nest identifies a potential issue, the homeowner will get an email alert telling them what the thermostat noticed and which system (heating or cooling) may be having a problem.

Google says there will be issues that the thermostats won't catch, but over time and through user feedback, it expects Nest thermostats to get smarter and better at detecting possible problems.

Google is partnering with Handy, a platform that connects qualified professionals with customers who need their services, to make it easy to find and book an HVAC pro with set pricing.

Booking through Handy will initially be available in over 20 metro areas, including Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Las Vegas, and San Diego, and expand to additional regions throughout the testing period.

"We're excited to work with Nest to help create the smart home of the future, where problems are flagged automatically and repairs get done seamlessly," said Handy Co-founder and CEO, Oisin Hanrahan. "We're looking forward to bringing this convenient service to Nest owners across the U.S."

Nest owners who sign up to get a Nest Home Report will automatically receive the new HVAC alert emails, and they can opt out of getting them at any time.

Article Link: New Nest Thermostat Feature Alerts Homeowners to Potential HVAC Issues

 

[macplay]

And homekit support?

 

[Glideslope]

No thanks. I’ll simply have my HVAC serviced annually, and use my local installer as I always have. No need to pass on more personal information to Handy Dandy. Go away Google.

 

[mingistech]

Yes, ef'em until HomeKit support is added. I'm going to give my Nest to my parents and pickup an ecobee finally.

 

[kissmo]

I was thinking to buy a Nest product one day until Google purchased it....

They will update it with location tracking, privacy breaking and adds. And only youtube prime users will be able to control AC in the summer.

To calculate time to heat or cool, you need to take into account other environmental conditions which are not always at the disposal to the thermostat.

Every machine needs service check and cleanup every year. In Romania, you must check your heating yearly and they do inspections.
For AC we do yearly cleaning and checking of the devices.

I understand it may make sense for other machines but G needs to come up with something more to convince me.
Ah yes, install Hangouts on the device...

 

[Viet Dang]

Nest is irrelevant until they add HomeKit support.

 

[colticus]

Yes, ef'em until HomeKit support is added. I'm going to give my Nest to my parents and pickup an ecobee finally.

I’ll trade you my ecobee for your nest.

 

[PastaPrimav]

No thanks. I’ll simply have my HVAC serviced annually, and use my local installer as I always have. No need to pass on more personal information to Handy Dandy. Go away Google.

Curious what information of yours you think they don't already have.

 

[Braderunner]

I bought a 1st gen Nest. Before Google bought the company. Anyone who has a Nest thermostat, and uses Apple devices, should have the Thermo Watch app. It works really well. I can say, "Make it warmer/cooler", to increase/decrease the temp. by 1 degree. Or, "Make it way warmer/cooler", to change the temp. by 2 degrees. I don't use the home/away feature. I just turn the heat down when I leave. When I'm running the A/C, I leave it. But, when I replace this Nest...it will be with a different brand.

 

[markgpearse]

What's Homekit??

 

[chino-rican]

I wonder if this will be featured on both the Nest and Nest E. Don't see why not.

 

[Menel]

And homekit support?

Apple and Google support is being phased out.
No new Apple features added.
And can't pair google accounts to their new authentication system.

 

[rictus007]

Apparently they will notify you if is taking longer than usual to cool/heat your home .... this might suggest some kind of issue. I don’t think it does anything else.

 

[anzio]

This would be neat if my Nest was still up on my wall; however, we upgraded to an ecobee and have never been happier. Nest was one of the game changers, and they will always hold that title, but not having HomeKit support makes it feel closer to a dumb thermostat.

 

[The_Martini_Cat]

Wow HVAC alerts be still my heart. How will they manage to keep it in stock?

 

[Icculus]

And homekit support?

Not likely now that Google owns them. I suggest researching/installing Homebridge. That's what I have been using and it controls Nest and my Ring camera. Not super hard to setup and its a quick way to get your Nest on HomeKit.

 

[ideal.dreams]

And homekit support?

Use Homebridge. I have my Nest and other smart devices that don’t officially support HomeKit in the home app and can control with Siri and other automations. Been running for a month with zero issues. Highly recommend - it’s free.

 

[TechieGeek]

I was thinking to buy a Nest product one day until Google purchased it....

They will update it with location tracking, privacy breaking and adds. And only youtube prime users will be able to control AC in the summer.

To calculate time to heat or cool, you need to take into account other environmental conditions which are not always at the disposal to the thermostat.

Every machine needs service check and cleanup every year. In Romania, you must check your heating yearly and they do inspections.
For AC we do yearly cleaning and checking of the devices.

I understand it may make sense for other machines but G needs to come up with something more to convince me.
Ah yes, install Hangouts on the device...

I also enjoy long walks on the beach and writing conspiracy theories with no basis in reality.

They said the feature can help detect something abnormal (they gave the example of leaving a door or window open). If my heater suddenly requires 2x the effort to heat my home vs. the day prior, that’s a big win for me to know, and a big environmental win for Nest’s entire fleet to be checking for.

Apple should implement this for any thermostats that sync with HomeKit. If there’s a large variance in time-to-heat or time-to-cool, alert the owner that something may be off, and prompt them to call a technician if something appears off.

 

[oneMadRssn]

I’ll trade you my ecobee for your nest.

I might take that trade, honestly. The Nest app has become slower and slower with every update, the recent API changes have nerfed some of the third-party apps I liked, and the room sensors are a total joke.

If I was buying smart thermostats today, I would go with Ecobee.

 

[ChromeAce]

Just turn the damn thing into a wall-mounted Google Assistant with a mic, screen, and camera already.

 

[colticus]

I might take that trade, honestly. The Nest app has become slower and slower with every update, the recent API changes have nerfed some of the third-party apps I liked, and the room sensors are a total joke.

If I was buying smart thermostats today, I would go with Ecobee.

Let me know. Its a 3 with the remote sensor. I have it upstairs and is barely ever used. I would rather have a nest up there to match the one downstairs.

 

[imola.zhp]

I’ve had our Nest in Homekit for at least a year now. Have a 2011 Mac mini running home assistant; same machine has a lot of movies and TV shows that we stream to 3 Apple TV’s.
Not a wiz here, if I can do it, anyone can. Tried the Ecobee several years ago, sold the Nest 2, after a few months sold the Ecobee and went back to Nest 3. Just a creature of habit, the Ecobee seemed to give information OVERLOAD while the Nest was more simplified, your HVAC ran X hours, the end. Siri was also REALLY bad back in those days, she rarely understood commands to adjust the thermostat.

 

[oneMadRssn]

Let me know. Its a 3 with the remote sensor. I have it upstairs and is barely ever used. I would rather have a nest up there to match the one downstairs.

Ah, I would need two as I have two zones.

 

[kissmo]

I also enjoy long walks on the beach and writing conspiracy theories with no basis in reality.

They said the feature can help detect something abnormal (they gave the example of leaving a door or window open). If my heater suddenly requires 2x the effort to heat my home vs. the day prior, that’s a big win for me to know, and a big environmental win for Nest’s entire fleet to be checking for.

Apple should implement this for any thermostats that sync with HomeKit. If there’s a large variance in time-to-heat or time-to-cool, alert the owner that something may be off, and prompt them to call a technician if something appears off.

You missed my poor sarcastic comment's point
I don't find this feature amazingly useful for where I live and I don't bash at it.
Just sayin' that I am sorry Google bought Nest. I am not a big fan of G's ecosystem that's all.
I do prefer Apple more, it's true though I'm not that avid fan boy.

And yes I do like walking on the beach, and no, I don't compose a conspiracy theory about Google I don't even think they care about how much data they collect or even that they are able to manage any of it. Especially mine, some beach walker from the corner of the Earth

 

[44267547]

No thanks. I’ll simply have my HVAC serviced annually, and use my local installer as I always have. No need to pass on more personal information to Handy Dandy. Go away Google.

Thats great and all, but I’m not worried about my ‘Personal info’ reference my HVAC.

I also question how many homeowners actually have their HVAC systems serviced annually? I know I haven’t, [which is negligent], partially because I think we don’t think about these things until a problem presents itself. If this has the potential to save the homeowner thousands of dollars in repairs, it poses the benefit for those who just don’t have that mindset that they should service their HVAC system annually. I’m on board for something like this, but can’t attest to the first hand experience yet.