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As a renter, you are mostly at the mercies of your apartment’s amenities, including the thermostat, which could e outdated or even inefficient and could even be costing you money. This is so unfortunate.
So is Nest worth it for an apartment? Well, I would say YES! This is because of the level of control that you can get out of the nest thermostat is really helpful in efficiency gains. Nest thermostat has the ability to program itself and has extensive smart home compatibility that makes it worth for an apartment. Their Price of under $200 is worth the investment for an apartment with many functionalities.
It is possible to install a Nest Thermostat in an apartment from the standpoint of whether it is possible or not. It is very easy to get them installed.
The only question is whether or not your landlord will let you. In most cases, they have no problem with you having a smart home improvement, but you should check first.
When you have an outdated and inefficient thermostat in your apartment, they can cause you to waste energy because they are not accurate all the time, this can cause you to crank up the system and thus making it harder to heat or cool the apartment. This will, in turn, also increase your energy bills.
Furthermore, they may also cause you to run your HVAC system at the same temperature for a whole day even when there is no one at home, in order to make sure your apartment is comfortable. This will also, in turn, increase your energy bills.
Otherwise, you may also set the thermostat to a lower setting only fo you to return home or wake up and have to crank the thermostat way up and wait for many hours for you to realize the desired temperature.
When you have such a continuous cycle every day, I may cause you to wonder about the possibility of installing a nest thermostat for your apartment. This is to help you in managing the apartment temperatures, especially when you are away or when you are sleeping.
Nest Thermostats will help you to manage your apartment temperatures by learning and then adapting itself to your energy consumption habits in order to decrease wasted energy while also maintain the comfort level of your apartment.
A Nest Thermostat will even learn your schedule while you are gone and then have your apartment set to the desired temperature when you get back home. It also works with your smartphone, which is a great way to help you in monitoring and controlling the apartment temperatures as well as receiving alerts while you are away.
As a side note, I wrote an article about the best smart thermostat for an apartment that you can find here.
What is The Nest Thermostat?
A Nest Thermostat is a smart thermostat that allows you to remotely control your heating and cooling from your phone, while you are both inside your apartment and also outside your apartment if you are at work or on vacation.
The Nest Thermostat is also packed with smart features that will help you to save energy, enable more comfort, and even make you safer. It installs where the old thermostat was and connects to your home wifi system to enable remote control. The installation takes 15 to 30 minutes, and most owners complete the nest thermostat upgrade with just a screwdriver.
I have written a complete hands-on review of smart thermostats and whether they are worth the cost where I outlined the energy-saving issues I ran into.
Can I Install a Nest Thermostat in An Apartment?
While there is nothing about the wiring of a Nest Thermostat that will stop it from working in your apartment, your landlord is the only person that may have a problem with you making alterations, therefore to answer this question, it depends on your landlord.
Furthermore, to place your Nest Thermostat in your apartment, you will have to remove the old thermostat and connect the Nest Thermostat to the current wiring. This may be complicated if you have no proper knowledge of electrical wiring. In fact, even though the wires that connect to the thermostat are small, they can still deliver a shock if they are not handled well.
If you are fortunate and you receive a go-ahead from your landlord to pace a Nest Thermostat in your apartment, they will always require you to remove the new thermostat and replace it with the old one when the time comes for you to move out.
In other words, you have to return the apartment in the order you found it, even if you had na upgrade like installing a Nest Thermostat, this is to avoid being charged from your security deposit for reinstalling the old thermostat.
Also, even is the landlord agreed to install the thermostat, they also reserve the right to replace it with the old thermostat if they think that this new thermostat is the one contributing to issues.
Benefits of Nest Thermostats in an Apartment
Energy Savings
The nest thermostats can help you to save energy if you let it. The Nest Thermostat has a built-in motion sensor, and it detects motion. When it detects that you are not in the apartment using the motion sensor and other smart systems, it automatically dials back your heating and cooling system to save energy.
This auto energy-saving feature will help you save a lot of money in bills, and when you want it to be cool or hotter when you get home, you can just use the app to adjust the thermostat before you drive in your apartment.
Nest Thermostat also integrates with the nest app on your phone to detect your GPS location in combination with the built-in motion sensor to help in saving energy when it detects that you have left your apartment.
You can enable or disable the GPS feature in the app, but it has a great way of helping the Nest Thermostat to accurately detect if you are home or away to save energy.
Comfort
With the Nest Thermostat, when the temperatures are too hot or cold, you can adjust the thermostat on your phone or by using Alexa or Google Home voice commands. This is a game-changer and has increased comfortability significantly.
Nest has also gone a step further and created a Nest Room Sensor that you can also have in your apartment if you wish to help you precise temperature where the sensor is placed and let you control the temperature in the apartment.
Safety
Nest Thermostat has several safety features that are built-in that old-style thermostats cannot compete with. The fact the Nest Thermostat is a wifi thermostat it can alert you if the temperature gets low in a situation where your pipes could freeze, or if it could be too cold for the pets. This safety feature is the biggest win for the Nest Thermostat and the safety of your pets.
If you combine your Nest Thermostat with the Nest protect smart CO/ smoke detector, the thermostat can integrate with the Nest protect CO smoke detectors from shutting down the furnace if it detects a fire or carbon monoxide is detected. This safety feature could be of help if you need to escape in the event of an emergency because it will prevent the HVAC system from blowing smoke through the apartment and stop a potential source of carbon monoxide from the furnace.
Cost
If you are looking for a less expensive Nest Thermostat option that has most of the same features I have mentioned above and energy-saving benefits, the Nest Thermostat E has almost all of the same features and energy-saving benefits but at a lower cost compared to most others.
I was surprised at how The Nest Thermostat E is cheap in the listing here on Amazo, you can have a look at their price and customer reviews.
The biggest difference is that the Nest Thermostat E is made of more plastic and comes in only one finish compared to others like the Nest Thermostat Generation 3 that comes in highly polished glass and stainless steel finish.
How To Install Nest Thermostat
Installing a Nest Thermostat is fairly quick, and you can be able to do it following these simple steps. However, if your thermostat has thick wires or is labeled 120V or 240V, this means that your thermostat contains a very strong voltage system in which case DO NOT attach the wires to the nest thermostat.
- Shut off the circuit breaker to the Nest Thermostat
- Label the old wires to match corresponding wires on the nest thermostat
- Remove the old thermostat carefully
- Feed the wires through the middle of the base plate on the Nest thermostat and mark the position of the screw holes
- Attach the Nest Thermostat box trim plate to the base plate
- Attach the nest base to the wall using the screws included and a screwdriver
- Connect the corresponding wires to the Nest Thermostat
- Attach the Nest Thermostat display
- Turn on the circuit breaker
- Test the Nest Thermostat
If you run into issues connecting your Nest Thermostat, Make sure you check out my article here on some of the issues I encountered and how I solved them out.
Other Smart Devices You Can Install in Your Apartment
If installing a Nest Thermostat is not your option, you don’t have to fret; there are still some smart devices that can help you to maintain the temperature of your apartment to help you save money. They are also accessible via your smartphone, even when you are away to add more convenience.
Sensibo Smart Air Conditioning Pods
The Sensibo system has small receiver pods that connect your air conditioning unit, which is then controlled by a hub that connects to a and is powered bu your router to enable you to control your unit via your smartphone.
When you use the system, you can turn the unit on or off according to schedules set using your smartphone. They are also compatible with heat pumps.
Quirky Aros Smart AC
The Quirky Aros Smart AC is a smart windows air conditioner that learns from your patterns to cool your apartment when you need it and not when you are away. Its smart scheduling learns your habits and adjusts the temperature accordingly all throughout the week. It also turns off and shuts off according to the location you are, you can track your usage, and you can adjust your usage for even more energy savings.
Crane 1,500 Watt Infrared Smart Heater
The Crane 1,500 Watt Infrared Smart Heater uses energy-efficient heat to produce warmth and also features wifi connectivity that can be used with your smartphone to control the device from anywhere.
It has to overheat protection and is clean and allergy-safe to enable added comfort. There is also a child lock function and a cool exterior for added safety around pets and children.
In Conclusion
Though Nest Thermostat is worth if for an apartment, if you are a renter, then you must first get the permission of your landlord for you to install them, in order to avoid issues and being charged later on.
Is the Nest Thermostat worth it for an apartment? In my opinion, I think the Nest Thermostat is a good investment that can help you save energy, help you be more comfortable in your home or apartment, and even make you safer. The sooner you can get a smart thermostat, the sooner the savings and enjoy the additional features.
In the event your landlord disapproves of installing a Nest Thermostats in your rental, it is good to know that you still have many other options that are available for controlling your energy bills.
