I am not The Verge’s foremost smart home expert, but I sure do love my fourth-gen Nest Learning Thermostat. (As does our actual senior smart home reviewer Jennifer Pattinson Tuohy — she gave it a 9 in her review.) It’s sleek, looks gorgeous on my wall, is easy to use (and install), and most importantly, it helps me save on my utility bills. It also comes with a temperature sensor, which is handy if you live in a multifloor house, or if one room tends to fluctuate a couple degrees more often than others.
Amazon and Best Buy both have the thermostat at about $50 off its retail $279.99 price, but if you opt for the polished gold version, you can get it for $209.99 — an all-time low price for the device since it launched. Speaking as someone with the polished gold version, it’s totally worth it. I say this as someone with cool-toned decor, but the gold doesn’t clash like I feared it would, and it offers a cozier vibe overall.
Also, I can’t stress this enough: if you’re a smart home newbie, the Nest Thermostat’s easy installation is a major plus. Last year, I was a blundering first-time smart home owner and I tried installing a different thermostat. I ended up with a bloody foot and a $975 bill when the professional electricians told me “Just go with a Nest.”