Google Nest - Electric Ireland Offer

Noddy Nangle

I am signing to electric Ireland to avail of the Google nest for €99. I currently have two zones in my house (upstairs and downstairs) but the lady in electric Ireland said that nest will only control the whole house along with hot water and it cannot split the zones ie. If I just want to turn on heat downstairs and not upstairs then I can't do it remotely. Does anyone know if this is correct ?

bk

She is wrong, Nest does support multiple zones. However you will need to buy two Nest thermostats, one for each zone.

https://nest.com/ie/support/article/Does-Nest-work-with-zoned-systems

So I suppose she means Electric Ireland will only supply one Thermostat, you will need to buy and install a second one for yourself.

whiterebel

Apparently they will supply a second one fitted for €279 if you ask them in advance. I got one for €249 and the installer fitted it for free, but I don't know if they would all be so accommodating. He also brought a stand with him which normally sells for €40, again I don't know if they all do it.

hick

also have to take into consideration the higher unit cost on the package

DagdaIreland

You might be better (and it'd certainly be simpler) to avail of the Climote offer from Electric Ireland instead https://www.electricireland.ie/residential/products/smarter-living/climote

Doesn't having the learning capability of the Nest, but it is specifically set up to control two zones (plus hot water) if you're house is already zoned, and you still control from your mobile remotely..

whiskeyman

DagdaIreland wrote: »

You might be better (and it'd certainly be simpler) to avail of the Climote offer from Electric Ireland instead https://www.electricireland.ie/residential/products/smarter-living/climote

Doesn't having the learning capability of the Nest, but it is specifically set up to control two zones (plus hot water) if you're house is already zoned, and you still control from your mobile remotely..

Just be careful of the annual service change for the Climote if you want to use it remotely.
https://www.climote.ie/customer-care/climote-for-consumers/frequently-asked-questions/
From T&Cs:
After the first years service package has expired, what are the terms of continuing remote heating access?
On purchasing the climote HUB, the customer will receive a one year service package which includes full remote access to the HUB by climote APP, climote ONLINE and climote SMS. After this initial first year the customer will receive a reminder that their service package is coming to an end and that a renewal is required to continue to have remote access to the product. The cost of the renewal will be approximately €36 ex VAT per year (subject to change).

ThisRegard

I asked before about any annual charge for the Climote a few weeks ago and someone mentioned there was none. What exactly is the service package?

bk

ThisRegard wrote: »

I asked before about any annual charge for the Climote a few weeks ago and someone mentioned there was none. What exactly is the service package?

Climote definitely has an annual charge, €36 ex VAT. Which is why most of us disregard it. No charges for Nest, Netatmo or Hive

Graham

ThisRegard wrote: »

What exactly is the service package?

If I remember correctly, the Climote requires a mobile phone SIM/subscription which is covered by the package.

They made some very peculiar decisions when putting the whole thing together in my opinion.

ThisRegard

Yeah, a subscription model for accessing your own thermostat outside of the home is ridiculous.

Graham

ThisRegard wrote: »

Yeah, a subscription model for accessing your own thermostat outside of the home is ridiculous.

I think their design choices for the UI (the skeuomorphic pin style time clock) and the choice of GSM for connectivity are really strange. I wouldn't really consider Climote a home automation product, more of a remote thermostat.

They've definitely limited their potential market by those choices alone.

ted1

Graham wrote: »

I think their design choices for the UI (the skeuomorphic pin style time clock) and the choice of GSM for connectivity are really strange. I wouldn't really consider Climote a home automation product, more of a remote thermostat.

They've definitely limited their potential market by those choices alone.

I pointed it out to them at the time and they insisted it was the best model as it means that they aren't dependent on people's wifi and they would be swamped with calls every time someone's wifi went down.

Graham

ted1 wrote: »

I pointed it out to them at the time and they insisted it was the best model as it means that they aren't dependent on people's wifi and they would be swamped with calls every time someone's wifi went down.

Same here, exchanged a couple of emails with them.

I really think they were skating to where the puck was at the time rather than where it was heading. As a result the product was/is almost out of date from launch. All made even more significant by Nest which was also starting to appear at the time.

the heathen

Can anyone tell me, I have three zones in my home (inc water) so as I understand it the Nest will control Zone 1 plus water.

If I choose to just go for one Nest, thus controling downstairs and water, will I still have manual control over upstairs heat? Do they replace the existing control unit on my wall or is it left there to allow me control the third zone.

hope that makes sense?

bk

the heathen, you have two choices:

1) Buy a second Nest Thermostat to also control the second zone

2) Or you can leave your existing thermostat in place, but then you won't have the fancy remote control features of that zone, just the usual manual control.

the heathen

bk wrote: »

the heathen, you have two choices:

1) Buy a second Nest Thermostat to also control the second zone

2) Or you can leave your existing thermostat in place, but then you won't have the fancy remote control features of that zone, just the usual manual control.

Ah ok. So I can leave the upstairs under manual thermostat control. They'll just install the Nest next to the old thermostat or something.

cheers BK

bk

the heathen wrote: »

Ah ok. So I can leave the upstairs under manual thermostat control. They'll just install the Nest next to the old thermostat or something.

cheers BK

You can, but the problem with this, is that depending on your plumbing setup, the manual thermostat upstairs might over-ride whatever you try to do with the Nest Thermostat. I'm not sure they would play very well together. I think you would be best getting two Nests Thermostats, one for each zone.

If you do, then each Nest will replace the old thermostats.

Note, I'm not a plumber, so take my advice with a grain of sand.

the heathen

bk wrote: »

You can, but the problem with this, is that depending on your plumbing setup, the manual thermostat upstairs might over-ride whatever you try to do with the Nest Thermostat. I'm not sure they would play very well together. I think you would be best getting two Nests Thermostats, one for each zone.

If you do, then each Nest will replace the old thermostats.

Note, I'm not a plumber, so take my advice with a grain of sand.

No prob - you've flagged that there may be a prob which is good enough - I'll go for two Nests or at the very least enquire further. Cheers

Myksyk

Guys, I have thermostat problems and am thinking of going with a Nest when replacing. I have a three-zone control console in my utility and two thermostats, one in the hall and one upstairs. I'm unclear ... my question is, does the nest take the place of the console AND thermostats? I presume so as Im having difficulty seeing how it would work with/talk to the current console. Any info welcome.

ted1

Myksyk wrote: »

Guys, I have thermostat problems and am thinking of going with a Nest when replacing. I have a three-zone control console in my utility and two thermostats, one in the hall and one upstairs. I'm unclear ... my question is, does the nest take the place of the console AND thermostats? I presume so as Im having difficulty seeing how it would work with/talk to the current console. Any info welcome.

The display unit is the thermostat, this replaces the thermostat, the heat link is a white box that replaces your control box and has the switches / relays in it there's a radio link between the two The Nest uses wifi and doesn't need to be plugged in to your network

cormie

Hey folks,
I'm suggesting this to a friend who is doing a complete heating upgrade and is going from boiler, cylinder, immersion to combi boiler, removing cylinder etc.

They are also going to be zoning up and downstairs so I'm thinking rather than the plumber buying just regular thermostats etc, that they buy these instead.

Can someone advise what exactly is needed? Is it just two nest devices?

Also, they have only signed up with Airtricity for the year, but want to get the heating upgraded much sooner, what's the best way to go about getting them at the reduced price through Electric Ireland, or is there any other way without dealing with account switching, cancellation fees etc?

Also, are the camera and alarm systems just plug and play once the heating system is installed, or are they all independent of eachother anyway? You don't need to install at the same time or anything I'm guessing?

cormie

Spoke to a plumber who was assessing the boiler upgrade and he said these could be bought instead of buying a regular thermostat which cost about €50 or so. So would be best to buy now and have ready for the heating upgrade.

If not through electric Ireland, can anyone suggest a good place to buy them?

Do electric Ireland beef up the rates to cover themselves for providing these at the reduced price? Would they be a lot more expensive for electricity over the year than buying one outright from amazon and just staying with airtricity I wonder?

whiterebel

You can buy them direct from Nest, at €249 each, plus fitting. Amazon sell them, but I don't know if there is much of a saving.
I asked an approved installer about fitting 2, and he quoted €710 for 2 units fitted. I changed to Electric Ireland and availed of the €99 offer, for one fitted. I bought one from Nest, which the installer fitted for free at the same time, total €350.
One of the other posters on here got a deal on installing 2 at the same time from EI, I think it was €99 + €279 for the second, both fitted.
I didn't find a massive difference in the cost over the year, probably because I was already with Energia, and got good rates from EI as a new customer. Check one of the comparison sites and check the figures yourself.

cormie

Thanks a lot. I don't think the fitting will make too much odds with the cost for my friend as they are getting the heating upgraded and it'd just be a case of using these instead of a regular thermostat, I think, so looking for the best price to buy the units themselves, maybe direct from nest is going to be the only option while still in contract with airtricity for my friend, unless they just break the contract.

bk

The unit rate of electricity on this Nest deal is 28% higher then the best available on the market (Energia). 16.23 versus 12.67.

Over a year, using the average Irish home electricity usage, you will pay €177 more (not including the €99 install fee for Nest).

I found I'd save €200 by buying a Netatmo myself for €99 and installing it myself and going for the cheapest electricity supplier, so that is what I did.

But then that isn't Nest, if you really want Nest, then this deal would be slightly cheaper then buying one from the Nest site yourself and getting someone to install it.

A Nest on Amazon currently costs about €240, so if you have an installer out anyway, probably cheaper to buy it from Amazon yourself, then going for this deal (as long as you sign up for the Energia deal, once out of contract).

BTW I think there is a €100 charge for breaking a contract.

cormie

bk, as helpful as ever with the nitty gritty details and comparisons. Thanks a lot!!

bk

Actually Harvey Norman have it for €220, cheapest I've seen around.

So I think for your friend it would come down to either:

- Buy Nest from Harvey Norman for €220 or
- Buy Netatmo for about €100

Get the installer to stick it in. Switch to the best electricity deal when out of contract with Airtricity.

BTW check about how many zones he will have and if he will have a separate hot water zone, that will make a difference about which to choose.

cormie

2 zones, up and downstairs, with a combi boiler install so no hot water cylinder even, so I think the two will do.

I'm leaning towards suggesting Nest as it's Google and I think the convenience of having everything under the one Google account might be worth it if they then get the cameras, carbon monoxide alarms etc too.

bk

cormie wrote: »

2 zones, up and downstairs, with a combi boiler install so no hot water cylinder even, so I think the two will do.

Yup, I've a combi boiler like that, they are fantastic devices, so great not to have a silly water tank any more.

In that case both Nest and Netatmo will work great, though will require two, one for each zone.

cormie wrote: »

I'm leaning towards suggesting Nest as it's Google and I think the convenience of having everything under the one Google account might be worth it if they then get the cameras, carbon monoxide alarms etc too.

Yup, that is the advantage of Nest. Though there isn't that much of a difference IMO and for myself I decided it wasn't worth the two to three times price difference for the small amount of extra functionality.

Again same with the Nest cameras, they are probably the best in terms of functionality and integration. But they are one of the most expensive to buy and then require an expensive subscription to run. There are much cheaper options out there that are almost as good, but require no sub.

Nest Protect are pretty much one of a kind.

I'm not saying don't get Nest, but just something to keep in mind.

cormie

Subscription for the camera? Ah no ;(... I see you can buy just the cam without the 10 day video history ($100 per year) but it's probably not much use if it's not saving the recordings anywhere!

I can't see any sub options for buying the nest protect or thermostat so hoping there's no need for a sub to use all their functions!

bk

cormie wrote: »

Subscription for the camera? Ah no ;(... I see you can buy just the cam without the 10 day video history ($100 per year) but it's probably not much use if it's not saving the recordings anywhere!

You aren't required to have a sub, but to use in in a realistic way, you do.

Without a sub, you can log in and view what is happening live, but you can't see anything that happened before logging in. The only historical record is that they email you a screen shoot when they detect movement and you are away. That all seems very limited to me.

By comparison, I've two other much cheaper cameras:

-Canary, cost me £100, it gives you 12 hours of recording for free. You get a notification of any movement detected and within 12 hours you can view it and download the video.

- Logi Circle, cost me £65, it gives you 24 hours of recording for free. Again similar to Canary, they send you a notification of movement when away and you can log in and view the entire last 24 hours of what it recorded and download it.

It also creates a daily brief, so you can quickly view all it recorded during the day. More handy if you are keeping an eye on kids or childminder, then a security cam.

The above are good enough for day to day use IMO. Which is why I ended up deciding against getting Nest cameras.

cormie wrote: »

I can't see any sub options for buying the nest protect or thermostat so hoping there's no need for a sub to use all their functions!

Yup, fortunately no subs required for protect or thermostat.