Installing the Smart Nest Thermostat

During the whole process of purchasing materials for the kitchen, I wanted to be able to spread out the cost of supplies by taking advantage of a special offer on my Home Depot credit card. I needed to purchase a certain dollar amount in order to qualify so I decided this would be a good time to invest in the products needed for some other smaller DIY projects. I decided to purchase insulation for the garage door, a special lock for our glass sliding door, and the Nest Thermostat E.

I had been eyeing the Nest thermostats for the past 6 months after hearing good things about them. Our system had been running on the most basic of basic thermostats. We couldn't even program it. In the process of creating a "smart" home I want to also be saving money where I can. While the Nest Thermostat 3rd generation could do this by cutting our bill down, I wasn't quite ready to drop $250 on a unit, even with a $75 rebate from our gas company. It wasn't until a few weeks ago when I saw an ad for a new Nest thermostat, the "E" model. It had most of the same features as its big brother but was designed to blend in with the wall and only cost $169. I'm in love with the idea of making my home reflect a minimalist style, so that was just another reason I was sold on this new Nest thermostat.

At first I had planned for our handyman to show me how to install it as he did it. However, he convinced me that it wouldn't be that difficult of a task, gave me a few important tips, told me to read the manual, and sent me on my way. He was right!

I turned off the power to the furnace and took off the front of the old thermostat. I made sure to snap a photo of the wires in use and in place. I then began unhooking all of the wires and unscrewed the base of the thermostat off the wall.

I rushed the next few steps but it went just fine. The Nest was way smaller than the old thermostat. I patched the holes from the screws, sanded the patchwork and tried to sand down the edges where the paint stopped short because of the unit. It isn't perfect but it isn't super noticeable once the Nest was installed. I painted the whole area where the old thermostat sat and once the paint dried, I began installing the new one.

Let me just say I love Nest's manual! Every tip my friend told me was listed in the manual. The device itself even had a tiny cute level built in to help me screw it accurately onto the wall. Connecting the wires to the Nest was the most difficult and time consuming part. I first had to cut down a few of the wires that were too long for the new device, followed by stripping them. That was a pain, especially once I had to put the wires into the holes on the thermostat. It was just such a tiny area to work with and a lot of wires to work around. It was easy to tell if they were in place because the tab behind the holes that I stuck them through pushed down once in all the way.

I wanted to have less exposed wire, but every time I fidgeted with the wires it became worse and worse. Once I got all of the wires connected, I tucked them back into the hole in the wall so that the cover could sit level on the device. With a simple push and click, the Thermostat installation was complete. I restored power to the furnace and the start up began!

I can now control my thermostat by phone app or in person. The screen only lights up when I walk up to it. It keeps track of energy usage, sets my house to the recommended eco settings when it knows I'm away, and it looks great! I am incredibly happy with this purchase and that I was able to do an installation like this!

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