Entry Title: "
Nest Learning Thermostat"
Company:
Bould Design
,
United States
Category: Professional, Product
Designer(s): Fred Bould
Entry Description:
1. How the entry is manufactured and delivered to its consumers.
The Nest Learning Thermostat is an electronic device similar to a cell phone in terms of complexity. It has a color LCD, multiple printed circuit boards and a lithium ion battery. The device itself is manufactured in compliance with ROHS directives while its packaging is minimal and uses 100% recycled materials. Nest can be purchased directly from nest.com or from distribution partners such as Best Buy. Nest is also sold directly to professional installers through wholesale channels.
Nest educates consumers about the importance of turning down heating and cooling when people are away from the home, communicating environmental and financial benefits through videos, infographics and blog posts on nest.com and social media channels.
2. How the entry functions and its use.
In the U.S., thermostats control approximately 50% of the average homes energy consumption, as much as refrigerators, computers, lighting, TV and stereos combined. While programming a thermostat can reduce a typical annual energy bill by as much as 20%, just ten percent of thermostats are properly programmed to save energy. This is where Nest comes in.
Nest learns about you and your home to help you save energy. It learns in five ways:
1. Nest programs itself, creating a personalized schedule based on the temperature changes you make. Turn the temperature down when you leave the home or go to bed, and Nest learns. Turn it up in the morning and when you return home from work, Nest will remember and anticipate your arrival the next day. Nest also adapts to changing lives, adjusting the temperature schedule accordingly.
2. The Auto-Away feature automatically shuts off heating or cooling when Nest senses that no one is home (through the use of built-in activity sensors).
3. Time-to-Temperature shows people how long it will take to reach a given temperature, in an effort to guide people toward setting better temperatures instead of cranking up the heat or cooling.
4. The Nest Leaf shows up on the thermostat screen when the homeowner selects an energy-conserving temperature. A change of just one degree can save between 2 to 5 percent.
5. Nest shows users their Energy History so they can understand if a reduction or increase in energy usage is due to the weather, Auto-Away or a manual temperature change.
In summary, the goal of the Nest Learning Thermostat is to reduce energy consumption while keeping you comfortable and giving you the information you need to make informed decisions about your temperature choices.
3. How it maintains sustainability in an environmentally and responsible manner.
The Nest Learning Thermostat maintains sustainability in three ways:
1. By simply learning how you live and then providing heating or cooling only when it is needed, the Nest can dramatically reduce energy consumption.
2. Nest gives you feedback on whether your choices are conservation-minded or not. If you make a temperature choice that conserves, the green leaf appears, confirming your good judgment. This helps you develop better conservation awareness and habits.
3. All of this sophistication is integrated into a product ecosystem that is very easy to use and very compelling. Every single aspect of the design, from the form and materials to the incredibly intuitive user interface and ease of installation, was calculated to engage and delight.
Nest has put a new face on home energy management. When was the last time a thermostat excited anyone about conserving energy?
|
