Nest Thermostat for an apartment

[dosekies]

We are renting a small apartment (~750 sq ft) and were contemplating getting a smart thermostat. Has anyone gotten one for a smaller place like this and actually noticed a difference in their energy bill?

 

[ronandannette]

We are renting a small apartment (~750 sq ft) and were contemplating getting a smart thermostat. Has anyone gotten one for a smaller place like this and actually noticed a difference in their energy bill?

I'd urge you to check with a qualified HVAC contractor first to see if your furnace is compatible. (I'm guessing in an apartment you don't even have a dedicated furnace but have a boiler or in-floor or baseboard heaters instead.) They market NEST as being basically plug-and-play but it's far from that. On older systems a more conventional programmable thermostat may be your best bet.

 

[dosekies]

I'd urge you to check with a qualified HVAC contractor first to see if your furnace is compatible. (I'm guessing in an apartment you don't even have a dedicated furnace but have a boiler or in-floor or baseboard heaters instead.) They market NEST as being basically plug-and-play but it's far from that. On older systems a more conventional programmable thermostat may be your best bet.

My sister in law moved into our same complex with the same layout and installed one, so it can definitely be done in our place. But they're 'techy' people who mostly did it just to have a Nest so I don't want to ask them about their possible cost benefits haha

 

[smokeyblue]

I don't see it being worthwhile for a renter unless you're renting your own house or condo with it's own heating system and you're paying the heating bill.

 

[DIS_MIKE]

I regretted buying the Nest at first. I got the learning one and it had a mind of its own. I don’t like it really hot if I’m going to bed but it would crank the heat up to like 74 degrees at 2am. There’s no way to use it as a manual thermostat but searching online there is a way to get it to semi-function in manual mode (by deactivating several features) so you can set it where you want and it won’t change. I still don’t think it’s worth the $300 price tag but the app is nice and having the ability to control it away from home is a convenient feature.

It’s still relatively simple to setup. My electric bill has gone down but that’s also because I switched from oil to propane and I have a tankless boiler so it runs on-demand. The Nest does have a feature that tells you how much $ you’ve saved so yes, it will save you something but I’m not sure how much of a savings you’ll get with your apartment. A lot of energy companies provide a rebate if you install a Nest thermostat but it doesn’t apply to renters.

 

[SteveMouse]

Not to mention you’d be messing with the apartment wiring- something the landlord might not take too kindly to without some coordination.

 

[wvjules]

We live in a 1200SF 2 Bedroom apartment and have the Nest. Love it! There is nothing like being able to pick up your phone while in bed and being able to adjust the temperature. We also have a schedule set up so it is higher during the day and set a a lower temp when we get home and even lower at night. I don't know about any energy savings since we've always had it, but the convenience makes it worth it to me.

 

[cabanafrau]

Pretty substantial investment to try and recoup energy savings on a 750 sf apartment.

 

[rwdavis2]

I don't think it would be worth the cost in a small apartment.

 

[DLgal]

If you don't already have a programmable thermostat, you can get one for about $35-50 at Lowe's or Home Depot. I bought one for our last rental home (it was a huge house, not an apartment) and it was very straightforward to install. Literally just pulled the old thermostat off, disconnected the wires and plugged them into the color coded spots on the new thermostat.

No need to spend $300 on a Nest. A basic programmable digital thermostat will save you money in the same way.