Why Nest is the next iPhone

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Thermostats haven’t ever made the most fascinating dinner conversation – until now.  The new Nest Learning Thermostat is beautiful, functional, and efficient, and since its developers founded their own company after working for Apple, it comes with the hipster-seal-of-approval.  After designing iPods, iPhones, and their software, these guys know a little about convincing us we can’t live without something we’ve never needed before – but thermostats?

The rationale behind this suprising product line is simple:  Heating and cooling account for about half of a home’s energy use.  Properly programmed thermostats can cut heating and cooling costs by 20%, but as many as 90% of programmable thermostats are rarely or never programmed.

Their solution is a thermostat that’s Apple-inspired elegant and can:

  • Learn your preferred temperatures and schedule.
  • Sense when you left the house or came home.Give you tips and feedback on your energy use.
  • Connect to Wi-Fi so you could control it from anywhere.
  • Look good (of course).
  • Make you feel proud to own it.
  • Have a positive impact on the world.

Nest can do that.

Is Nest the coolest thing that’s ever happened to thermostats?  Absolutely.  But Nest retails for $249 – at least five times the price of a good-quality programmable thermostat – and you need one for each heating zone.  Is it really worth it?  It’s too soon to tell – but then again, I’m happily paying for a smart phone that seemed ridiculously unnecessary a few years ago.

Energy efficiency geeks can become early-adopters and keep the rest of us posted.  In the meantime, I’ll follow Energy Star’s guidelines for my boring-but-efficient programmable thermostat – and keep investing in improving my home’s thermal envelope.  Insulation and air-sealing aren’t as flashy as Nest, but I know they’ll work.

Contact us today to learn more!

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Evergreen was so helpful in securing us Efficiency Maine funding for a big attic insulation project early this winter. They did all of the paperwork, and totally guided us through a vermiculite removal process that included a payment from a trust for the procedure. I could instantly feel the second floor being so much warmer than before. The boiler does not kick on nearly as frequently since they completed the job. It was worth every penny! Brian Robinson was so thorough throughout the whole process including a full walk through after the job had been completed.

Todd W.

Camden

Evergreen did everything they said they would and more. I actually don't mind going into the basement now since they sealed it. The air quality in the house is noticeably better and it's warmer in the winter. We can even store clothing down there where before, whatever was in there would mildew. Even the spider population declined! I used to vacuum so many of them from the corners of the ceilings in the house. Not any more!

Loriel Van Dusen

Great job installing windows and insulation.

Bob S.

Rockland

Our house still the most efficient home we’ve ever lived in. And we have you folks to thank for that! A special howdy to Brian Robinson please!

Bruce O’Donal and Eva Butler

I cant say enough about this company and the benefits that it created for our family. They are very professional and have effectively re-insulated our home. The heating bill proves the point.

Bob O.

Springvale

The team members were very professional, worked very hard, paid very close attention to detail and cleaned up meticulously every day. I really appreciated the care they took knowing the smallest details were going to make a big difference to our heating bills. Thank you!

Pam B.

Brunswick

The folks at Evergreen did a great job fixing a rather major insulation problem in my house, which they helped identify with a great audit. When the work began, they were thorough, upbeat, and -- dare I say it -- efficient. I strongly recommend them.

Michael Williams

Evergreen did an amazing job insulating our historic home. Their professional staff worked hard to ensure the tough areas in the attic were covered, and clearly communicated their progress. We are seeing the results with our discounted heating bills. Thank you, Evergreen!

Melissa Knoll

Portland

I have always been impressed by the high level of service, quality of work, and excellent follow-through provided by Evergreen Home Performance in the three projects that they completed at the Wells Reserve at Laudholm over the past several years.

Paul D.

Wells

Evergreen came back this year to finish insulating our house. We have been remodeling and renovating an 1850s cape for several years. Their employees are very professional and pleasant to deal with. Over several years Brian Robinson has been able to schedule us in for several small areas that needed addressing and finally turning a room we used to close off in the winter into a comfortable usable space. We primarily heat with wood and since Evergreens great work our furnace has only come on ONCE this winter. Fantastic. Really satisfied customer in Thomaston.

Chris F.

Thomaston

Evergreen did a fantastic job replacing 28 windows in our house. They were friendly, courteous, and very detail oriented. Brian did a great job planning, estimating and executing the project. Our energy use has dropped significantly since the work was done.

Alex B.

Kittery

Working with Brian and with Nate and the rest of the crew was a pleasure. They made everything very easy and understandable. This was a major renovation and they were always at the ready with a lot of information. We had an extensive renovation on the basement which was a dirt basement and it came out beautifully. We can already tell from all of the insulation work what a difference it's made in sound and temperature. Brian worked with me on the rebates that are available when you do this kind of work. I would highly recommend this company to…

Valerie L.

Rockland

Great team!

George S.

Bath

I cannot say enough great things about working with Evergreen Home Performance. Everything including the initial consultation, the fabulous work crew, the office support and the final resolution was handled in a caring and professional manner. My only regret is that I did not know about them earlier. I enthusiastically recommend Evergreen to anyone with concerns about home energy use.

Darlene R

Bath

Evergreen is a terrific company to deal with. Polite and efficient crews, meeting deadlines and major reduction in our heat bills. They corrected a lot of issues we suffered from doing work with a shoddy building contractor. We would recommend them to anyone.

Mary Carey

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