I spent $300 on a fancy smart thermostat and it made my heating bill worse

Everyone in this sub seems to love those WiFi thermostats that learn your schedule. I bought a Nest Learning Thermostat about 8 months ago for $300, tax included. My house in St. Louis is a 1960s ranch with old ductwork. That thing kept cranking the heat up in the morning when I was already awake and dressed. I figured it would save me money but my bill went up $45 a month compared to my old manual Honeywell. The sensors never figured out that I work from home some days and go in other days. It kept trying to 'auto-away' while my dog was sitting right under it on the couch. I finally pulled it off the wall last week and went back to twisting a dial. Has anyone else had a smart device actually cost you more than it saved? I'm starting to think simple is better for old houses.

3 comments

3 Comments

jessem597d agoMost Upvoted

Drive that thing straight into the trash along with the "smart" tech hype. My buddy's Nest tried to learn his schedule for six months straight and still thought he was a vampire who only woke up at 2 AM. The dog sitting under the auto-away sensor is hilarious because my cat does the same thing. Some old houses just don't cooperate with fancy gadgets that think they're smarter than a basic dial.

phoenixk643d ago

Honestly, I have to push back a little here, @emma_garcia. My Ecobee has been running for about 14 months now in a drafty 1920s house and it actually saved me around $200 that first winter. The learning curve was real for the first few weeks, sure, but once I manually set the schedule for the weird times my cat parks under the sensor, it just worked. I get that the Nest can be a mess if your life is all over the place, but most of these things just need a little upfront effort instead of expecting them to read your mind. Tbh, that $45 surcharge sounds like some utility company nonsense, not the thermostat's fault. A basic dial is fine, but I'll take the control from my phone over walking to the hallway any day.

emma_garcia7d ago

Love those WiFi thermostats" they said... "It'll pay for itself" they said... Guess mine took "learning" a little too literally and decided I needed to learn what a $45 monthly surcharge feels like. Sounds like your old honeywell and my old mercury switch are smarter than we gave them credit for.