Energy Trust recently completed an evaluation to determine the energy savings of the Nest thermostat in homes heated with electric heat pumps. Nest is a smart thermostat that learns your schedule and adjusts your home’s temperature accordingly, similar to the Honeywell Lyric. Evaluation results showed that the Nest thermostat is a viable technology to achieve energy savings in homes with electric heat pumps. Participants experienced an average 4.7 percent decrease in their electric usage, or 781 kilowatt hours per year.

Notably, homeowners in the lowest income category achieved the highest energy savings, reducing energy use by 11.1 percent or 1,654 kWh per year. Homes in the Portland Metro area and manufactured homes achieved the highest level of energy savings within their regional and housing type sub-groups.

A survey distributed to participants showed that satisfaction with the Nest thermostat and home comfort increased over the course of the study. In fact, 89 percent of respondents were highly satisfied and 66 percent said their homes were more comfortable after installing the thermostat. Nearly one-half of participants said their favorite aspect of the Nest thermostat was the energy savings, and 27 percent favored the thermostat’s capability for remote operation. Two other studies achieved similar results in homes with other heating technologies, one by Nest and the second by Vectren, a utility in Indiana.

Due to the success of the Nest thermostat pilot, Energy Trust now offers an incentive for Nest and similar smart thermostats that are self-installed in homes with electric heat pump systems.

A new Energy Trust pilot is already underway to evaluate the savings opportunity of the Nest and Honeywell Lyric thermostats in gas-heated homes.

Read the full report on the Nest thermostat heat pump control evaluation to learn more.