We know you come to ElectricChoice.com to find great rates on electricity and that you want it to be easy and fast to find those rates. So take some time to find a great low rate and invest in a device that save you an additional 20% on your annual heating and cooling costs. We think it?s a no-brainer.

The Thermostat

What if your thermostat worked with you instead of against you? Would you be impressed when it learned your heating and cooling habits and could sense when you weren?t in your house? What if you could control your thermostat from anywhere with your iPhone or other wifi enabled device?

These ideas may seem like science fiction, but with a sleek new thermostat called Nest you can make them a reality in your own home. For $249 you receive a kit that includes everything that you need to install your Nest Thermostat and you have access to their website that includes information on all of the device?s features as well as videos on how to install the Nest as well as how to teach it your heating and cooling habits. The Nest is perfect for a tech geek and simple enough for your grandparents. Described as the ?world?s first learning thermostat?, Nest boasts loads of features that make it more than just a pretty wall decoration.

From Nest?s press release (10/25/11):

“According to the U.S. Department of Energy and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, the annual energy bill for a typical single-family home is approximately $2,200, with heating and cooling (HVAC) accounting for approximately half of the bill. The programmable thermostat, developed in the 1970s, promised to help people conserve energy, but 89 percent of owners rarely or never set a program (source: ACEEE, 2010). The devices are simply too complicated. In fact, Energy Star revoked its certification of all thermostats in 2009 when it became apparent that people weren?t actually engaging with programmable thermostats to reach their proper functionality.

Nest addresses the programming problem through a combination of sensors, algorithms, machine learning, and cloud computing. Nest learns behaviors and preferences and adjusts the temperature up or down accordingly, making you comfortable when you?re home and saving energy while you?re away. Nest also provides people with tips and information to help them make energy-saving choices.

Nest tracks the temperatures you typically set and guides you to more energy-efficient ones, displaying the green Nest Leaf as a reward when you set the temperature to a more energy-efficient setting. The Auto-Away? feature uses sensors to detect when you?re not home, lowering the temperature and saving energy. You can also check Energy History to see how much you saved.”

 The Nest thermostat is available at Amazon, the Apple Store, Lowe?s and Nest.com.