Google's New Smart Thermostat Has (Yep, You Guessed It) AI Features

Credit: Google

We’ve got AI in our phones, we’ve got AI in our glasses. What about AI in our thermostats? The oft-forgotten piece of home tech is getting a smart AI upgrade courtesy of Google and its new 4th generation Nest Learning Thermostat.

Thermostats are something I tend not to think about a lot, living in New York City. I just use the dial attached to my window A/C unit. But for everyone basking in central heating/cooling (I’m jealous), the game has seriously been upped the past few years, and Google’s new Nest Learning Thermostat looks like something between a clock and a blown-up smartwatch.

That’s not to say the minimal piece of circular glass is new, but this year’s model introduces thinner bezels, a 60% larger display, new customizable home screens inspired by the Pixel Watch, and a lot of set-it-and-forget-it AI smarts.

This year’s model truly feels more “learning” oriented than ever. New features debuting this year are “Dynamic Farsight,” AI-powered energy saving through “Smart Schedule,” and on-the-fly adjustments made in tandem with the new Nest Temperature Sensor.

Because the Nest Learning Thermostat has that big, fancy display, it’d be a shame to leave it constantly displaying just the temperature. That’s where Dynamic Farsight comes in, letting you customize the screen to display time, temperature, weather, and/or outdoor air quality depending on how close you are to it. For instance, you could set its screen to show a simple analog clock from a distance, and a more detailed weather readout up close.

Smart Schedule, meanwhile, should hopefully help you recoup some of the costs of getting a smart thermostat. Here, AI will generate schedules for you where it will adjust the temperature based on your activity. If it detects you’re always in the office (through a lack of motion in your home) during certain hours, it will suggest a schedule that keeps the temperature closer to baseline while you’re away, except for the hour or so before you get back, where it will gradually raise or lower the temperature to your desired setting. You’ll be able to implement suggested changes automatically or take manual control over them in the Google Home app.

The Nest Learning Thermostat can also adjust the temperature based on the conditions sensed during a particular day. Included with every Nest Learning Thermostat is a new Google Temperature Sensor, and if the thermostat detects that your home would be warm enough without intervention, it will temporarily pause heating. You can connect up to six temperature sensors to the thermostat, with each extra sensor costing $39 individually or $99 in a three-pack. Temperature sensors are also compatible with the 3rd generation Nest Learning Thermostat, although Google did not say if automatic temperature adjustment would work with older models.

Outside of daily temperature adjustment, the Nest Learning Thermostat can also track your HVAC system’s performance over time, alerting you to inconsistencies, like if it was set to cool down your home but the temperature remained the same. If you have a ventilation system, the Thermostat will also adjust how much outdoor air it uses based on detected air quality.

Pre-orders for the 4th generation Nest Learning Thermostat are available today, at $279 in the US and $379 in Canada. Shipping starts on August 20. Available colors include Polished Silver (gray), Polished Obsidian (black), and Polished Gold (gold).