Nest Thermostat Vs. Nest E – Which One Should You Buy?

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Nest Thermostat vs. Nest e

Would you really call a smart home smart if it doesn’t have an intuitive thermostat? Straight answer: NO!

And, is it impossible to talk about smart thermostats today without talking about Nest? Again- NO! Nest (now a part of Google) is the company that pioneered these devices in the market.

If you decide on buying a Nest thermostat, your main challenge will be, which one? Do you choose the Nest Thermostat or the Nest E?

Ordinarily, when a company releases a cheaper version of its original product, it is assumed that the product is lower in quality. But is this always the case? Most people believe that there’s no way a lower-priced product will have better features than a highly-priced one.

The flagship Nest thermostat costs ~$250, which is a relatively high price, and not everybody will afford it. Nest, therefore, came up with the Nest e; it’s cheaper than the original by ~$80, retailing at ~$170.

When making the purchasing decision, you want to know, other than the price difference, is there a difference in the quality and features of the two products?

Allow us to break down the two products for you and make this decision easier for you. We will look at the features, price, quality, and functionality so that you can make an informed decision.

Related: Nest Thermostat Delayed – What Is It? How to Control it?

Quick Comparison Table & Our Pick!

This as you would expect from us is an EPIC post so grab a coffee before you start  and see how we cut through every product and review it with precision. IF YOU ARE SHORT ON TIME and just need to know the results of our reviews , CHECK THE RESULTS TABLE BELOW!


Thermostat Price

$$$

30% Less

HVAC Support

Upto 95% of US Households

Upto 85% of US Households

Resolution For Better Clarity

480x480

320x320

Display Type

Clear LCD

Uses Frosted Glass

Wiring Systems

10 wires

6 Wires

Other Great Recommendations

Dimensions (Inches)

6.5 x 6.5 x 3

6.46 x 4.88 x 2.32 

Cell
Nest-Thermostat Vs E-1

Nest Thermostat

Price

It will cost you ~$250 to be a proud owner of the Nest thermostat. You may incur an additional cost of hiring a technician to install it for you as well. Note: check with your utility company for rebates. It could save you a good percentage of your initial purchase.

Its clearly evident Google has pumped in lot of investment into Nest and hence, without any hesitation comes with a premium price tag!

Also, don’t waste your money buying a cover plate to cover up the holes from the old unit. The Nest Thermostat comes with a vanity plate big enough to cover the area.

Features

Nest learning thermostat has a metal construction with a polished finish that comes in four different colors: white, copper, stainless steel, and black. This makes it more aesthetically pleasing than it’s Nest E counterpart.

Its display is clearer, has a higher resolution, and it is more visible, which makes it easier for you to check the temperature, time, or weather even from a distance.

This baby also has a feature known as Farsight; it senses when you’re in the room and possibly passing nearby, the screen turns on and shows you the time, weather, and room temperature. Boy, oh, boy! Isn’t this baby impressively intuitive? 

One of its coolest features is its ability to be synchronized with mobile phones. You see, once it’s connected to your phone, you can adjust every setting on your phone. It can also sense when other connected phones (family members) are at home and adjust the cooling system accordingly. What can beat that?

Lastly, it’s installation is easy; you can mount this thermostat on the wall or a stand. If you’re a DIY fanatic, feel free to do the installation yourself. However, the company recommends that you get a professional to install it for you. What’s more, is that it uses battery power to function.

Functionality

Nest thermostat is wi-fi enabled, and it controls the heating and cooling systems in your place of work or at your home. It is known as a learning thermostat as it has the capability of learning your daily routine and optimizing temperature to save energy and money in the long run.

You can operate the device via a Nest app on your phone from anywhere, and it can also perform some interesting, smart tricks such as turning off the heating when it detects that there is no one at home.

The first week after your purchase is more of manually adjusting the thermostat, depending on your preferences. During this week, it learns your habits, preferences, and internalizes them. After that, the thermostat catches on; it will then remember your preferences onwards on your desired temperatures and the part of your house where you spend most of your time.

When you walk into your room, the device will detect your presence and light up, displaying the current temperature. If there is anything wrong with your heating system, the thermostat can detect it and alert you before your air conditioner goes down or the pipes burst.

Compatibility 

Of course, the learning thermostat works with Google Assistant and other Google products. It is also compatible with all low voltage heating and cooling systems with 20V and 30V AC power specifications. In a nutshell, the Nest Thermostat is compatible with about 95% of all HVAC systems.

Check Nest Thermostat Price On Amazon

Nest Thermostat e

Price

Nest e will cost you about ~$170. So, if you’re keen on saving some extra bucks, the Nest E could be your choice. Unlike the learning thermostat that has the wall and stand mounting options, the Nest e only gives you the stand option. A separate Heat Link E will take the place of the current thermostat on the wall. This product works through a battery that you can install yourself and save money that you would use to hire a technician. Again, check with your utility company for rebates. 

Features

Thermostat E has a polycarbonate body construction with a ceramic-feel finish. It is only available in white color, which is a big contrast to the predecessor, which has four different finishes. In terms of display, this product has a frosted display that will not offer you much. It only shows you the indoor temperature. A bit boring if you’re keen on the details. But again, it’s just a thermostat, and you might not care much about the aesthetics. 

Functionality

Once you install the device and connect it to the app, using it is just as easy as having a walk in the park. On the screen, you can turn the air conditioning on, or turn the device on and off.

Probably the best thing about the device is that it can adjust to your routine. When you use it for the first few weeks, you will find that the device will adjust automatically to your routine in the house. It will also detect your location and when you are not at home and switch on and off accordingly. This will help save energy and money. The thermostat will detect when you are on your way home and adjust automatically. Thus there will be no time wastage between when you get home and heating or cooling the house.

The device does not have to adjust to your routine, and you can also schedule the events manually by using the app. Go to the app and press the schedule button, and you will be able to tell the device when to change the temperature in your house. 

Compatibility

The device works with Google Assistant and other Google products. You can also use it with the Nest app.

The flagship thermostat device is compatible with 95% of all HVAC systems. The percentage drops significantly on Nest E as it only supports 85% of the HVAC units. This is mostly so because there are fewer wire terminals on the new model. If you look at the older model, you realize there are ten wire terminals, whereas the Nest E has six wire terminals.

The thermostat does not support external sensors. What this means is that it can only determine the temperature using the thermometer in the device itself. You cannot set up sensors in other rooms and use their readings to control the device the same way you can do for other thermostats.

Check Nest e Price On Amazon

Verdict

Are you ready for the ‘judges’ verdict?

And, the winner of the day goes to… wait a moment, did I just call myself a judge… never mind…

The Nest flagship thermostat carries the day without a doubt! It is better in terms of design, functionality, compatibility, and aesthetics. However, in terms of cost, the Nest E is still the champion. And, it’s not so bad itself. It can still work for you if you do not have large HVAC systems, and you want to enjoy a Nest experience at a reduced price.

Editor Notes:

For some people, you may not need to scrutinize many details to know what you prefer between these two. Support for more homes is among the top reasons making us choose the Nest Thermostat over Nest E. Nest Thermostat features ten wires to offer enhanced compatibility of 95% of households while Nest E only works with 85% of HVAC.

Display and aesthetics are also much better. Nest thermostat boasting of a clear LCD and a 480 by 480 resolution ensuring effortless visibility. With the Nest E having frosted glass and a 320 by 320 resolution, reading can be difficult for some.

However, Nest E comes at a more affordable price than the Nest Thermostat to help you save massively.

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