Today in TechiPod creators turn beautiful design attention to home energy
Let's face it — some things, like Corvette speedboats and Tesla Roadsters are sexy. Thermostats, in general, are not. While we all know that programmable thermostats are a great way to save money and the environment, they're not terribly intuitive to use, and just not that interesting. Until now, anyway.
Two of the people responsible for creating Apple's iconic iPod, longtime senior vice president Tony Fadell and lead engineer Matt Rogers, teamed up to found Nest Labs. Together they took the sleek, user-friendly genius of the iPod and incorporated it into a programmable thermostat that even technophobes will love.
In addition to the stylish design (the metal of the outer case blends in with the surrounding colors, making it a match for any décor, and the dial glows blue when it's cooling and red when it's heating), this is one smart piece of technology. It's called the Nest Learning Thermostat, because after about a week of using it, it will learn your typical schedule, and create a program to meet your energy needs. If you tend to leave the house around 8 a.m., and return around 6, the Nest learns this and adjusts accordingly.
And the Nest doesn't just keep track of the temperature you set with the dial; it also measures ambient light, humidity, and motion, and uses all that data to fine-tune its program. That way even on a day you're usually home, like Saturday, if it doesn't detect any motion in the house for a long time, it will adjust the temperature to save you money. If you have multiple Nest units installed in your home, they will communicate via wifi to coordinate schedules for different parts of the house. You can also adjust its settings online or via an iOS device.
Who says saving energy can't be sexy? The Nest Learning Thermostat goes on sale for $249 next month at Best Buy and other retailers. Watch the video below to see what the Nest can do!
This article was written by Katherine Gray and originally appeared on Tecca
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