Buyers Advocate Melbourne

From the team at Apple that brought you the iPod and the iPhone comes the latest innovation to astound the technology world:

A thermostat!

(Wait, did he say a thermo…)

Yes, a thermostat!

Looking at The Nest Learning Thermostat (NLT for short), I initially wondered why I should even look into what seemed like another iteration of a common household appliance.

Then, they blew me away.

The Nest website really does explain everything to you in a nutshell: their new thermostat is a nifty piece of AI, learning what temperatures are your favourite (over a week, needing this ‘training’ seasonally), when you are out of the house and even what time you wake up so it can switch itself on.

What is fascinating is that the NLT functions using Nest Sense, so when you are out it switches itself off or adjusts to save energy consumption in the house (unlike traditional ones, or the new fangled ones which are impossible to use), of which 50% comes from that small thermostat stuck on your wall (fridges apparently only take up a measly 8% in comparison, go figure). It even has adjusted controls to allow for accelerated or decelerated heating/cooling and the Nest Leaf energy saver indicator can in turn educate you on how to best save energy, since a one degree change in temperature can save up to 5% on your energy bill if implemented in the long run!

Like the famous iProducts, Nest founders Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers have designed the NLT to be avant-garde not only in it’s software but with it’s hardware too, with a ‘chameleon design (that) blends into any wall (by) reflect(ing) any colour’. And what is a new device from the team that brought you the iPod and iPhone without an app to control it remotely?

With the claims on climate change finally ‘substantiated’ in only the more recent years, the world has suddenly gone into a green kick, especially in Australia where Aussie households now have to foot a carbon tax, whether or not you support it. The Nest Team posit that, if ‘taught’ properly, the NLT could save you $173 off your energy bill per annum, which means the tech will effectively ‘pay for itself’ in 17 months.

The NLT: A slice of the future in green technology today, not only saving money but the planet as well as by reducing your carbon footprint, all whilst looking good at the same time. And for all you Melbournians, it should provide a nice, constant micro-climate to come home to, no matter the weather outside.

(For further information, please check out the following videos or the Nest website at http://www.nest.com/index.html. Secret Agent is not affiliated or paid to endorse the NLT and only gives it’s fair and honest opinion)

An unusual study conducted in the U.S. by the Pacific Northwest Research station has suggested that properties with trees planted on or in the surrounding areas somehow boost the value of the property itself!

In the study, it was observed that rental units with trees on the property experienced an increased valuation of $5 monthly, $21 if the street the unit is situated on is lined with trees and as much as a $13,000 sales price hike if trees are found on the next door neighbour’s property (which was suggested by the utility of shade without the hassle of raking leaves!).

The question to ask is whether this merely relates to a desire for shelter from the meteorological elements or other intrinsic factors. Trees by themselves provide a carbon sink, absorbing carbon dioxide from the surrounding air and thus providing a more oxygen rich environment, and their root systems help to keep soil together, preventing erosion from occurring.

Additionally, on a psychological level, it would make sense that a neighbourhood adorned with healthy trees, lush gardens and well kept lawns would not only suggest that the residents love their homes and neighbourhood but that the neighbourhood as a whole is ‘of the good sort’ to live in.

Whatever the reason, and whether this study is to be believed, there would be no harm in adding a bit of flora to your properties, if not for money then for beauty.

Just about everyone knows who Steve Jobs is these days.  The leader of Apple,  Steve has a strong focus on design in the products his company helps build.

No different is the new proposed Apple headquarters ( Not Retail ) to be built in California.  The strong focus on efficient building methods, open space and green power moving forward are impressive.

If we could see these bold concepts spreading to our retail, residential and commercial real estate sectors –  we could create a better and more sustainable place for all.