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Often in the summer when the temperatures soar, humidity hits 100%, and all attempts at conserving energy go out the window, we experience what's called a brownout. That's when the stresses and demand on the system result in a drop in voltage, to prevent a true blackout.
What if instead of simply watching the overload on the system during those peak demand days, the utility was able to tinker slightly with the thermostats of people who perhaps aren't at home and don't need the cooler temps? They could send that energy to businesses and stores and then transfer it back when people return home from work.
That's the idea behind Nest Thermostat's partnership with progressive energy providers across the U.S.: to provide an incentive for people to use the smart thermostat so that temps can be slightly adjusted, allowing for the savings of both energy and money.
Working with select energy providers across the country, Nest will be offered at a discounted rate via instant rebates when customers sign up for the new Rush Hour Rewards and Seasonal Savings plans. The Nest currently retails for $250.
The Nest Thermostat, designed by former Apple exec Tony Fadell, learns your habits and preferences and adjusts accordingly using its Auto-Schedule and Auto-Away features. With Rush Hour, the Nest thermostat can help users tweak energy settings to avoid over-taxing the system during those peak energy days.
Rush Hour Rewards
As Nest Labs Product Marketing Head Maxime Veron explains to Mashable; think of it just like rush hour on the freeway. 'Everyone cranks the AC and it becomes just like rush hour on the road; there aren't enough lanes and no one can move.'
By allowing the thermostat to determine whether you're home or not, and in response change the temperature by one or two degrees, you can help avert a brownout and get money back from the energy company. Nest might raise the temperature by a few degrees during the day if you're not home, and/or pre-cool the house before the peak time begins — to make sure you’re still comfortable while using less energy.
Before you worry that HAL will be taking over your home, Veron says 'it's crucial you're in control of all the comforts of your home.' In fact, you'll get a notification on both the thermostat and your smartphone app letting you know a rush hour day is coming up. If you want to override the temperature change, you simply change the setting and Nest will learn that you don't like it hot in your house.
Those familiar with the Nest will notice that the green energy-saving leaf icon on the thermostat turns to a gold leaf when you're in Rush Hour or Auto Tune mode.
Nest estimates the savings from using Rush Hour will be $20-$60 per season depending on energy provider and weather conditions.
Auto-Tune
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In addition to Rush Hour, some utilities are offering what's called Auto-Tune, which is a way to save money in ways that won't impact your comfort. Based on the Rush Hour concept, Auto-Tune looks at the schedule you have in place and makes suggestions to you.
For instance, my Nest Thermostat is still set to heat my house for winter weather. I'm finding my heat is on, even though my windows are open to bring in the fresh spring air. Not very smart, but I haven't gotten around to tweaking my schedule yet. Auto-Tune will do that for me by looking for ways to make my schedule more efficient.
Just like Rush Hour, I can choose to accept or override the temperature change at any time. Nest will continue to learn my preferences and give me a much-needed, money-saving tune-up. Veron says 'algorithms working in each home and the cloud work together to take everything we know about the home and turn it into something actionable for the customer.'
The subtle tweaks can be as little as a two-degree shift in temperature, but it can result in up to an 8% savings, according to Nest.
Rush Hour Rewards and Auto-Tune are only available to customers of Nest’s energy partners. You can see a list of them and what they're offering here.
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Would you allow your thermostat to take control of the temperature to help save energy? Let us know in the comments.
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Images courtesy of Nest. Mashable composite homepage image via iStockphoto, amdandy and fatmayilmaz