Silverstat7 Zigbee-packin' thermostat to debut this fall for $600?
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted January 15th 2010 11:59AM
posted January 15th 2010 11:59AM
Every day it seems that companies are finding better ways to keep an eye on the non-renewable resources we're sucking down to enable our voracious appetite for Xbox gaming and Hulu viewing. Not that we're complaining! And now, thanks to a gracious tipster, we've received some deets on that Silverstat7 home energy management solution (er, touchscreen thermostat) we first hepped you to a couple days ago. Along with 802.11g WiFi, this guy supports the Zigbee and Zwave protocols (as you probably guessed), so it should be able to play nicely with your existing smart meter, switches and outlets. Earlier reports of a June 2010 release date may have been premature -- look for it this fall for about $600 MSRP.
[Thanks, Tony L.]
[Thanks, Tony L.]
How long would it take to recoup that $600 cost in an average home?
@VAGRANT
Im not a electrician, but Im pretty sure this bad boy would use more than your typical thermostat. So the cost to recoup will be more than the price tag.
Its like going to the store and spending $105 for the sole purpose of using a $5 coupon with $100 minimum purchase.
@VAGRANT
Well, it's not just a thermostat, it's mainly a domotica hub for the masses, and I like it!
@VAGRANT
Okay, so here's my calculation for payback of just the initial unit based on power rates where I live (so not including the power that it consumes).
To recoup $600
With power at $.07 per kwh
For 365 days for 5 years
This would have to help/cause you to save 4.7 kwh per day or 195 watts per hour, around the clock.
Obviously, whatever the power usage of this unit minus the usage of a traditional thermostat (almost nil, i would guess) would need to be added to the 195.
The saving grace here, though, may be that power will probably continue to go up over that 5 year span while the initial $600 investment will not.
So.....in this persons estimation (read: blind guess) this little gadget would be helpful if it produced results equal to turning off two 100 watt light bulbs at all times for 5 years.
Or.....at least you'd have a cool gadget in your wall.
@Plight
Yeah that's one of the questions I asked them when I emailed them..."what are the power/installation requirements?" and they stated "As far as Installation of the SilverSTAT 7, it is meant to be as simple as possible. It is intended to replace your standard thermostat by hooking up to your existing wiring."
One of the other questions I asked them was about the dimensions, they didn't supply them. I figure this thing has to be atleast an inch thick given what it is.
In regards to cost, at the $600 they replied to my email with, one would think that you could probably "do-it-yourself" for less seeing as it appears to be nothing more than tablet PC stuck to your wall. Possibly use a small LCD touch screen like from a GPS unit, hide an HTPC-sized box somewhere that's wireless enabled to mimic the internet connectivity aspect, a remote on/off switch connected to the HVAC system and good to go for a couple hundred bucks.
@VAGRANT
If you're replacing a regular thermostat and use the setback aspects of it (so you're not heating/cooling while at work) you could probably see significant savings.
Of course, how much better is it than an existing programmable thermostat?
@VAGRANT
I guess it's not about saving money, but more of an enviro-media center, that just feeds you data. I would buy this, but at a third of that price point.
@VAGRANT
Why do I need to recoup that money? I do plenty of other home upgrades that aren't designed to save money, but make my home better. It would be better if it had a smaller e-ink display that didn't need as much power.
I don't have a programmable thermostat even, though I hardly use any electricity/natural gas currently. I probably paid $600 for my entire electric usage in the past 2 years. 3 or 4 years for natural gas.
For that price I hope it also displays porn.
@bob e Well, if you look at the icons along the bottom, we have DVDs, music, "media," TV... I'm guessing that means you can get porn onto it, somehow.
@bob e
Seriously? Porn?
Not even a hooker should cost $600.
That's real nice looking. Anyone know if there's a 'lite' version that just offers a weather feed into the thermostat?
@contempt
Ecobee makes a more "lite" "smart" thermostats. Looks similar functionally, but no big screen, pr0n, and such. Just your temp and maybe the outside temp.
WANT
I promise, this is the first and last time i will ever use "gorgeous" to describe a thermostat.
@MDFreaK76 I definitely want this too. San Diego Gas and Electric is deploying smart meters, and this would be a neat feature to integrate between the thermostat, security system and some other smart appliances I have deployed in my house already.
I walk around my house yelling at everyone to turn sh!t off all the time... didn't know it was worth $600, though.
Extra displays like this one will become obsolete as more people have smartphones that can display the same information. An additional display for each smart device is a waste.
@Murphy Mac
I was gonna say, I need one of these right next to my separate doorbell answering/peephole display, right next to my ....
Seriously overpriced.
Can't... take... my eyes off it...
It's... beautiful...
Who the hell keeps their thermostat set to 79 degrees?
$600 for a fricking thermometer? Are you kidding me?
Does it do anything else? Turn my lights on? Let me control the temp in every room? Open my garage door for me? Connect to iPhone/iPod?
It is pretty, that's for sure. Just don't see any use to it.
@mtnDewFTW Yes, it can do everything you listed.
@(Unverified) What do you keep yours at? 79 degrees when you are home is quite comfortable.
I love this thing, I really want one for my home. If it does enough out of the box and is easy to hook up, I'll fork over $600 for it.
@mtnDewFTW Yeah, actually it's supposed to do all those things, that's why it's desirable.