Are We Dweebs? We Just Got a Nest.

We spend a lot, too much, way too much, on electricity, especially in the summer. With a baby and an asthmatic in the house, not running the air conditioner just isn't an option, but it makes you feel crazy to get hit with an electricity bill for over $500. It also just makes me feel gross, like a somewhere out there, Woodsy Owl is actively disappointed with me.

Woodsy Owl is coming for you... in your sleep...

In the mild months of spring when we don't use the a/c or heat, our electricity bill is only about a hundred dollars (which may still sound a lot to people in other parts of the country-- electricity in Southern California is idiotically expensive) so it's clear to us the bulk of our electricity bill comes from keeping the house a comfortable temperature. So we're throwing some money at the problem, hoping the investment now will pay off in the future.

We're replacing the insulation in the attic, redoing the weather stripping, slowly replacing our windows, and have installed a Nest Learning Thermostat. Well, we didn't install it, Patrick installed it. Big ups, honey.

Don't call it the iPod of thermostats-- we're Android people. But, oooh, it is pretty. Before, we had a Honeywell thermostat that glowed ugly and blue-green all  day and night (and was impossible to program in any meaningful way.) It's stupid, but I love how the display only lights up when you're standing right in front of it.

The thermostat can also be adjusted from my laptop of cell phone. I was entirely too excited when I was nursing Georgia in her room and felt a little chilly. In a month, we'll get an automated energy report.

It's not even close to a flying car but so far, I like that little bit of future hanging on the wall. I'll let you know if it saves us money!