CNET's key takeaways
$240
Automated Eco Modes make energy saving easy, even if you don't have time to plan out your schedule.
Local utility rebates may also help make the thermostat more affordable.
When friends walk past my Nest Learning Thermostat Gen 4 for the first time, they often stop and stare. The thermostat can detect nearby movement and lights up with a beautiful display of the outside weather, like setting suns or shifting rain animations. That beauty comes at a cost, nearly $300 when not on sale, making it one of the most expensive smart thermostats I recommend.
So why take the plunge? Because Nest's Eco modes are so effective that my Nest smart thermostat is set to pay for itself this summer through electricity savings -- and I barely had to do anything except set it up. Here's how it all works, and why I'm glad I kept this Nest smart thermostat around.
Read more: One Tiny Gadget Is the Unsung Hero of Today's Smart, Energy-Saving Home
My experience with the Nest Learning Thermostat Gen 4
A Nest Thermostat showing lightning. Google Nest
With a larger dial than ever, the Nest Learning Thermostat 4 is well suited to showing off, both aesthetically and with data-backed insights on indoor and outdoor temperatures, humidity and more. My favorite customization is putting the outside weather at the forefront of the display, which shows moving weather graphics that capture the current state of the skies, from falling snow to twinkling stars.
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