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Google announced a new program meant to help your smart home be more sustainable back in late 2021 and now that program — dubbed Nest Renew — is live. That’s based on a recent report from Android Police detailing the set-up process, as seen by some Nest users who are receiving invites. Complete with setup images, from the source, included below.
Now, this applies to invites recently sent out to Nest Thermostat users, specifically. And Nest Renew is compatible with the 3rd gen Nest Learning Thermostat, Nest Thermostat E, and the newest Nest Thermostat. So those are the users who will be seeing the invite.
In terms of availability and what Nest Renew costs, there are two tiers available in the US — for now, with other country’s coming later. The first is called Renew Basic and is available for free across the US for all supported devices. The paid variant, dubbed Renew Premium, is a subscription and is only available in select markets in the US for just $10 per month. The plan unlocks a “Clean Energy Match” feature.
Clean Energy Match, as its name might betray, matches users “estimated fossil fuel electricity use at home” with renewable energy credits from US-based solar and wind plants.
What is Nest Renew all about and what does the setup process look like?
The invites, arriving this week, showcase the program’s versatility across a few different aspects of energy usage. For example, the program starts out by monitoring users’ electric grid energy sources. That allows another feature dubbed “Energy Shift.”
Then, it allows higher usage during the day when energy comes from cleaner sources. For those using providers that have “time-of-use” rates — rates that vary in cost throughout the day — that’s factored into Energy Shift too. Effectively allowing a higher use of energy during times when it’s cheaper to use too.
Using all of that data, Nest’s Renew program allows users access to “monthly impact reports” as well. The reports provide an overview of energy sources in use in their smart home.
Finally, the newly-live Nest Renew subscription offers users a program that nets them a reward called “Renew Leafs,” earned via committing to challenges or using Energy Shift. The Renew Leafs act as a digital in-app currency. And, once earned, can be exchanged for donations at various milestone amounts. Those donations go toward green energy causes. For instance, they might go to expand clean energy sources or access. Or improve the affordability of energy.
