Nest thermostat owners are getting a new feature that can detect irregular heating and cooling patters and notify the user about which part of the system likely needs attention.
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Starting today, Google is rolling out heating and cooling system (HVAC) alerts, and says it's also testing out the ability to help customers connect with a professional who can help, starting in select cities.
Based on information like your thermostat's historical data and current weather, Nest will learn to detect some unusual HVAC patterns that might indicate something is wrong. If it's taking longer than normal to heat your home, for example, there might be a problem with your heating system—even if you haven't noticed anything.
If the Nest identifies a potential issue, the homeowner will get an email alert telling them what the thermostat noticed and which system (heating or cooling) may be having a problem.
Google says there will be issues that the thermostats won't catch, but over time and through user feedback, it expects Nest thermostats to get smarter and better at detecting possible problems.
Google is partnering with Handy, a platform that connects qualified professionals with customers who need their services, to make it easy to find and book an HVAC pro with set pricing.
Booking through Handy will initially be available in over 20 metro areas, including Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Las Vegas, and San Diego, and expand to additional regions throughout the testing period.
"We're excited to work with Nest to help create the smart home of the future, where problems are flagged automatically and repairs get done seamlessly," said Handy Co-founder and CEO, Oisin Hanrahan. "We're looking forward to bringing this convenient service to Nest owners across the U.S.”
Nest owners who sign up to get a Nest Home Report will automatically receive the new HVAC alert emails, and they can opt out of getting them at any time.
Top Rated Comments
They will update it with location tracking, privacy breaking and adds. And only youtube prime users will be able to control AC in the summer.
To calculate time to heat or cool, you need to take into account other environmental conditions which are not always at the disposal to the thermostat.
Every machine needs service check and cleanup every year. In Romania, you must check your heating yearly and they do inspections.
For AC we do yearly cleaning and checking of the devices.
I understand it may make sense for other machines but G needs to come up with something more to convince me.
Ah yes, install Hangouts on the device...
They said the feature can help detect something abnormal (they gave the example of leaving a door or window open). If my heater suddenly requires 2x the effort to heat my home vs. the day prior, that’s a big win for me to know, and a big environmental win for Nest’s entire fleet to be checking for.
Apple should implement this for any thermostats that sync with HomeKit. If there’s a large variance in time-to-heat or time-to-cool, alert the owner that something may be off, and prompt them to call a technician if something appears off.