Nest from Electric Ireland for 99 installed.

Zascar

wexfordman2 wrote: »

There is an argument, that given proper home insulation, then it is much bettter to allow your house maintain a temperature within a few degs, i,e not to allow it to drop significantly, so having the ability to do this with a smart thermostat should definitely show improvements.

I've always wondered this. On tv you see Americans set their thermostat to e.g. 72 and leave it there. Any time I've even tried to do this is did not work - I found the thermostat was inaccurate and it would not tun on when cold and vs versa. I'm guessing the Next thermostat is excellent so looking forward to seeing how it works.

I do live in a well insulted modern apartment but it can still get seriously cold in the depths of winter - if it can even that out and not be freezing when we come home it would be great.

Do you manually adjust it a lot or just let it do its thing?

bk

wexfordman2 wrote: »

I dunno about that bk, think about it this way

a) If you actually do micromanage your heat, then nest etc will allow you do this even better, and you can now micro manage it even more dynamicly
b) There is an argument, that given proper home insulation, then it is much bettter to allow your house maintain a temperature within a few degs, i,e not to allow it to drop significantly, so having the ability to do this with a smart thermostat should definately show improvements.

I'm giving these feedback as a micromanager, who has purchased a smart thermostat and I've seen no savings, but still very happy with it.

What I mean by micromanagement is that previously I'd wait until I'd get home, and then turn on the heat.

Now I remotely turn on the heat as a leave the office, 30 minutes before I get home.

Potentially I'm now actually using 30 minutes more heating per day. Yes I know I could turn off the heat 30 minutes sooner, but I still might be awake then and it might start getting cold sooner. I of course understand that insulation plays a part in this, but still no guarantees, a lot of people only turn off the heating as they go to bed, so those people would potentially be actually using more heat.

And then there are the times we are away for a few days or few weeks, we turn on the heating a few hours before we get home now to warm the place back up, where previously we would have just suffered and only turned on the heat when we got home.

I agree with you that it allows you greater control and I wouldn't be without it now, but I'm not at all convinced it will save people like us money.

BTW the second point I believe has largely been dis-proven, it is more or less an old wifes tale I believe.

BBTW I live in a modern built, highly insulated apartment, a well insulated home is fantastic. We have so far this winter only used the heating for a total of 3 hours! It just isn't needed the place is almost a constant 21c even without the heat on.

wexfordman2

bk wrote: »

I'm giving these feedback as a micromanager, who has purchased a smart thermostat and I've seen no savings, but still very happy with it.

What I mean by micromanagement is that previously I'd wait until I'd get home, and then turn on the heat.

Now I remotely turn on the heat as a leave the office, 30 minutes before I get home.

Potentially I'm now actually using 30 minutes more heating per day. Yes I know I could turn off the heat 30 minutes sooner, but I still might be awake then and it might start getting cold sooner. I of course understand that insulation plays a part in this, but still no guarantees, a lot of people only turn off the heating as they go to bed, so those people would potentially be actually using more heat.

And then there are the times we are away for a few days or few weeks, we turn on the heating a few hours before we get home now to warm the place back up, where previously we would have just suffered and only turned on the heat when we got home.

I agree with you that it allows you greater control and I wouldn't be without it now, but I'm not at all convinced it will save people like us money.

BTW the second point I believe has largely been dis-proven, it is more or less an old wifes tale I believe.

BBTW I live in a modern built, highly insulated apartment, a well insulated home is fantastic. We have so far this winter only used the heating for a total of 3 hours! It just isn't needed the place is almost a constant 21c even without the heat on.

Christ, 3 hours only, that's pretty good in fairness, I'm certainly using it a lot more than that.

I remember my old system where I would just manually boost it for an hour a few times a day, now I think in average looking at nest usage, its on for about an hour a day and that's it. Again, its prob a lot to do with the new insulation and certainly not all down to nest.

drunkmonkey

Zascar wrote: »

I've always wondered this. On tv you see Americans set their thermostat to e.g. 72 and leave it there. Any time I've even tried to do this is did not work - I found the thermostat was inaccurate and it would not tun on when cold and vs versa. I'm guessing the Next thermostat is excellent so looking forward to seeing how it works

Yea it’s as simple as that, we never set any times on it just crank it up a degree if it feels a little cold but the auto funtion seem to have figured out how we like it and we’ve the location on our phones, turn it on and forget about it.
Get BK’s point below that he hasn’t seen any saving as he micromanaged and it’s an apartment a complete different animal to a house.
I’ve 27 rads and 20 rooms (that’s counting halls and ensuites with rads and wardrobes with rads). For me
It’s been massive, used 2hrs of heating in August and 29 in October. It’s pennies compared to what I was using.

bk

I've Netatmo, just checked the last report, 0 hours September, 3 Hours November And we mostly walk around in shorts and t-shirt at that, even the last 2 days! Shows you what a difference good insulation makes.

Though I should point out, that doesn't include heating of hot water. Combi boiler, which heats the water as it flows through, not controlled by the thermostat at all, so completely separate.

Of course some people will get great savings, specially those who just set it to 22 and leave it there all year round, even when out. I'm just pointing out that some people depending on their type of home and how they use it might not see much in the way of savings. But still totally worth it IMO. But I think a good idea to set fair expectations.

drunkmonkey

22 is way to warm hard to breath at night, we’re down to about 19.5 is just right and never below 17.5 at night or any other time.

When we checked the tempature last winter the house was 27 degrees, took a few weeks to acclimatise ourselves after getting the nest. Couldn’t get down to the teens straight away. Now the mrs is baking when it’s 21.
19.5 is the sweet spot I think.

Lostphrophet

I have an old style timer on my gas boiler which in depths of winter I just put it on for about 3.5 hours per day. 3.30pm - 7pm. Do most of you guys let the nest dictate the temperature. I think if i was to do that my boiler would be on double the time:eek:
No point having house warm 8am to 6pm when its empty, or can it also be just used as a fancy timer you can use with phone?

https://www.google.ie/search?q=gas+boiler+timer&rlz=1C1AOHY_en-GBIE709IE709&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjL9P7N_KfXAhUD5xoKHTm3BcsQ_AUICigB&biw=1280&bih=685#imgrc=G1rjj8LUY11YXM:

drunkmonkey

Lostphrophet wrote: »

I have an old style timer on my gas boiler which in depths of winter I just put it on for about 3.5 hours per day. 3.30pm - 7pm. Do most of you guys let the nest dictate the temperature. I think if i was to do that my boiler would be on double the time:eek:
No point having house warm 8am to 6pm when its empty, or can it also be just used as a fancy timer you can use with phone?

https://www.google.ie/search?q=gas+boiler+timer&rlz=1C1AOHY_en-GBIE709IE709&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjL9P7N_KfXAhUD5xoKHTm3BcsQ_AUICigB&biw=1280&bih=685#imgrc=G1rjj8LUY11YXM:

No the opposite will happen, has in my case anyway. Ideal for your situation.
Few rolls of Insulation might not hurt either if the heat is just floating up and heating the attic.
It’s easier keep the house in around the same tempature to try and heat from 10 degrees to 20 is going to take a lot more oil and time than it is to keep it at a constant. As I said in October we used 29hrs too keep it between 17.5 and 20 constant depending on time of day.
Nest is smart it figures itself out depending on your pattern so it’s more than a fancy timer.

Lostphrophet

hmmmmm thats every interesting think ill take the plunge. I never used the thermostats really i allways just stuck the heating on for 4 hours for evening. So you just set the nest at say 20 degrees and leave it alone all month? it does its own thing
I like sound of that

Lostphrophet

drunkmonkey wrote: »

It’s easier keep the house in around the same tempature to try and heat from 10 degrees to 20 is going to take a lot more oil and time than it is to keep it at a constant.

Ahhh i didnt know this. My house cools down all day to about 14 degrees then i blast the heat to get back to 22/ great info thanks

Zascar

Wow 3.5 hours a day is a lot. I'm lucky as in the summer I dont need heating at all, only now do I have to put it on for an hour ot two. How much do you guys spend on gas bills? I average just under €100 every two months, going up to €160-€190 in the coldest part of the year.

drunkmonkey

Lostphrophet wrote: »

hmmmmm thats every interesting think ill take the plunge. I never used the thermostats really i allways just stuck the heating on for 4 hours for evening. So you just set the nest at say 20 degrees and leave it alone all month? it does its own thing
I like sound of that

Yea pretty much if it’s a little cold I might crank it up a degrees or two when watching tv but that’s about it, forget about it other wise, I was same boat as you running constant 3/4hrs a day.
Nest will kick in and out to keep it constant.

Lostphrophet

Zascar wrote: »

Wow 3.5 hours a day is a lot. I'm lucky as in the summer I dont need heating at all, only now do I have to put it on for an hour ot two. How much do you guys spend on gas bills? I average just under €100 every two months, going up to €160-€190 in the coldest part of the year.

Sorry thats Winter Only Gas Heating heats rads also.
Summer we just use the 30 minute immersion electric button
Dont use gas at all from March to October
Gas boiler used October - February only
Normally
5am ( 2 hours)
3.30pm (3.5 hours)
So winter usage 6 hours daily

nest Looks nice also, I could get the Hive from Bord Gais but doesnt look that good.
The Nest looks Very space age

bk

drunkmonkey wrote: »

22 is way to warm hard to breath at night, we’re down to about 19.5 is just right and never below 17.5 at night or any other time.

When we checked the tempature last winter the house was 27 degrees, took a few weeks to acclimatise ourselves after getting the nest. Couldn’t get down to the teens straight away. Now the mrs is baking when it’s 21.
19.5 is the sweet spot I think.

Hah, my place rarely drops below 20c and that is even with the heating completely off. It seems to naturally average around 21 to 22c! Really great insulation. In October only one day did it drop to 19.5c and that was because we were away all weekend (thus no body heat, cooking, etc.).

Lostphrophet wrote: »

I have an old style timer on my gas boiler which in depths of winter I just put it on for about 3.5 hours per day. 3.30pm - 7pm. Do most of you guys let the nest dictate the temperature. I think if i was to do that my boiler would be on double the time:eek:
No point having house warm 8am to 6pm when its empty, or can it also be just used as a fancy timer you can use with phone?

https://www.google.ie/search?q=gas+boiler+timer&rlz=1C1AOHY_en-GBIE709IE709&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjL9P7N_KfXAhUD5xoKHTm3BcsQ_AUICigB&biw=1280&bih=685#imgrc=G1rjj8LUY11YXM:

Well not sure for Nest, but with my Netatmo, you can use it as a combination of fancy timer and thermostat. You can set schedules that say something like:

- Have the temperature be 22c between 3:30pm and 7pm, 20c from 7pm to 10pm and 18c between 10pm to 8am, fire up to 20c between 8am to 9am, etc.

Or whatever you are most comfortable with and suits your schedule.

Where the smart bit comes in is that it can predict what time it should start heating at to reach 22c by 3:30pm, using it's knowledge of both current indoor and outdoor temp and how long it takes to heat up your home (which it learns after a few weeks). So for instance the heat might turn on at 3pm most days to reach 22c by 3:30, but on a particularly cold day it might fire up at 2:30 pm to reach that temp by 3:30.

Also you can set geofencing on your phone, so it knows what days you are away and it then cancels that normal schedule on those days, so the heating doesn't turn on those days. But as you approach your home, it will then fire up again.

bk

Lostphrophet wrote: »

3.30pm (3.5 hours)

When you say you turn you heat on at 3:30, is that because your home for 3:30 or because your home at 5:30 and it takes that long to heat up in preparation for your getting home?

If it is the latter, as I believe many people do, then you will want to change your thinking with a smart thermostat. With a smart Thermostat, you instead tell it you want the place to be 21c by 5:30 (or whatever temp/time that you personally need). The smart thermostat will then switch on at different times every day. One day it might well be 3:30, another mild day it might be 4:30, particularly cold day 3:00pm. The point being to reach the 21c by 5:30 in an efficient manner, without heating the place too early when it isn't needed. It will use the indoor temp, outdoor temp and smart AI to work out when to turn on the heating for you. And this is where you might see savings.

Again rather then saying turn on the boiler at 5am every day, you might say, have the place at 20c by 7am. It will turn on when it needs to before that.

Lostphrophet

bk wrote: »

When you say you turn you heat on at 3:30, is that because your home for 3:30 or because your home at 5:30 and it takes that long to heat up in preparation for your getting home?

If it is the latter, as I believe many people do, then you will want to change your thinking with a smart thermostat. With a smart Thermostat, you instead tell it you want the place to be 21c by 5:30 (or whatever temp/time that you personally need). The smart thermostat will then switch on at different times every day. One day it might well be 3:30, another mild day it might be 4:30, particularly cold day 3:00pm. The point being to reach the 21c by 5:30 in an efficient manner, without heating the place too early when it isn't needed. It will use the indoor temp, outdoor temp and smart AI to work out when to turn on the heating for you. And this is where you might see savings.

Again rather then saying turn on the boiler at 5am every day, you might say, have the place at 20c by 7am. It will turn on when it needs to before that.

The latter is takes till 5.30 to have the place warm the it takes the two hours for the house to go from say 16 degrees to around 21 ish we all come in about 6 this heats the full immersion tank also for cooking and showers. The gas stays on till 7pm and house holds heat till about 11pm ish. then on 5am to get up and have hot water in morning


Ahhh I get ya,,, So you can say I want the house at 20 degrees all the time. and if per chance its a mild day instead of heating just coming on it will detect hang on its 20 degrees.

New concept but im going to take the plunge .
I hear its now compatible with the google home which i will get also. Love all this home automation stuff . thanks for help:)

drunkmonkey

Nest is owned by Google

This can get out of hand though, running out of things to smarten, we got a Eufy 11 robot vacuum on the ibood deal of the day. Only arrived Thursday but has the house hooverd already with little intervention from us bar empty the bag when it beeps.
Life is getting easier : )

Lostphrophet

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Nest is owned by Google

This can get out of hand though, running out of things to smarten, we got a Eufy 11 robot vacuum on the ibood deal of the day. Only arrived Thursday but has the house hooverd already with little intervention from us bar empty the bag when it beeps.
Life is getting easier : )

ah heyor leave it owww.. the day a little robot vacum can out suck my illegal nilfisk massive wattage vac ill eat my hat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJaspfxcvMY

drunkmonkey

It’s like a drunken sailor falling around the place but in fairness I was well impressed with the job it done especially on the carpet in the hall.
Mrs wanted one for xmas but I told her I’m not buying her one as there a waste of money Henry is still working fine, then the ibood deal appeared and she bought it herself.
I was a sceptic like yourself, slowly warming to my little robot friend though only regret is not buying and hiding it as she’d think I was best husband in the world doing all the hoovering.

This robots next whenever it comes out of prototype https://youtu.be/swNgjX0xHC8

bk

Lostphrophet wrote: »

Ahhh I get ya,,, So you can say I want the house at 20 degrees all the time. and if per chance its a mild day instead of heating just coming on it will detect hang on its 20 degrees.

Yep, it will only come on based on a combination of schedule, temperature and if your home or not.

Rather then thinking of the schedule as a time that the heat actually goes on/off, you should think of it as a time the heating might come on if it is too cold.

You could set it to 20c all day. But something like this is probably more common:

- 7am to 8am - 18c (for when you are up in the morning before work).
- 8am to 5:30pm - 14c (no point it heating the place if everyone is out)
- 5:30pm to 10pm - 20c (nice and cozy for the evening when you come home).
- 10pm to 7am - 16c (no point having the heat blasting when everyone is in bed, but you might not want to leave it get too cold either).

Again remember these are the target temperatures for these times. The heating might turn on at 3:30pm one day to reach 20c by 5:30.

You can obviously set different schedule for weekends or any day you want. You can also override it if you are away for a few days. And of course you can boost up the heat at any time for a few hours if it is feeling cold.

TitianGerm

drunkmonkey wrote: »

It’s like a drunken sailor falling around the place but in fairness I was well impressed with the job it done especially on the carpet in the hall.
Mrs wanted one for xmas but I told her I’m not buying her one as there a waste of money Henry is still working fine, then the ibood deal appeared and she bought it herself.
I was a sceptic like yourself, slowly warming to my little robot friend though only regret is not buying and hiding it as she’d think I was best husband in the world doing all the hoovering.

This robots next whenever it comes out of prototype https://youtu.be/swNgjX0xHC8

Please tell me you did this to it?

drunkmonkey

emmetkenny wrote: »

Please tell me you did this to it?

Lol no, but I might get him a little Santa outfit for the season.

Kintarō Hattori

bk wrote: »

Of course if you also install smart TRV's too, that may take it to the next level.

Just learned something new..... thanks.

Kintarō Hattori

Got on to Electric Ireland whom I have my gas and electricity with. Stated that it had been years since I looked around at pricing and wanted to see what they could do for me as I had both utilities with them and paid by direct debit. After a little back and forth they offered €175 in credit if I stayed with them for a further 12 months. I accepted and went onto their site to buy the discounted Nest for €135 which you can pay off monthly over 12 months. Get onto your provider and see what they'll do for you.

Zascar

Wow fair play to you. I called asking if I was on the best deal, they said yes and there is nothing more they can do for me. Ugh. Just ordered the Nest so not sure if that ties me in for longer..

irishguy

Is it possible to get the Heating Upgrade Grant for this and a couple of TVR's?Which would cover the whole cost

Kintarō Hattori

Zascar wrote: »

Wow fair play to you. I called asking if I was on the best deal, they said yes and there is nothing more they can do for me. Ugh. Just ordered the Nest so not sure if that ties me in for longer..

If you haven't changed plan just ring up, say you've looked around the market and that cheaper deals are available... even if that's not the case. State that you're just comparing providers as everyone does. While they may not change your rate they should be able to offer you something.

TitianGerm

Ordered through Electric Ireland yesterday but no install date until 14/12. Hopefully Install goes smoothly now.

Zascar

Mine is installed and working nicely. I have not really had the time to play with it properly but will do this weekend.

Just wondering, is anyone using theirs with an Amazon Echo (Alexa)? I want to know what the commands are and what you can do by voice... "Turn on the heating for 30 mins" would be good but I know it operates by temperature more than time...

bren2001

I am considering getting Nest installed at some point in the future. However, one of my concerns is that my boiler control panel is boxed in by tiles (the kitchen splashback). Does anyone know if they can just disconnect and leave the original control panel there and install the Nest one elsewhere?