Nest Labs on Tuesday announced the next generation of its Learning Thermostat, a new device that is 20% slimmer than its predecessor and now compatible with 95% of low-voltage residential heating and cooling systems. The company also announced new software for the device that will be available to both new and existing customers. Software version 3.0 includes a variety of new features such as enhanced auto-away and auto-scheduling, broader mobile support and support for additional languages. The original Nest Learning Thermostat will have its price dropped to $229 until supplies run dry, while the second-generation Nest will be available online and from select retailers later this month for $249. Nest software version 3.0 will be available to existing customers by the end of Tuesday. The company’s press release follows below.

Second-Generation Nest Learning Thermostat Slimmer with More Energy-Saving Features, Increased Compatibility

Nest Now Compatible with 95 Percent of U.S. Residential Systems

Palo Alto, Calif. – Oct. 2, 2012 – Less than a year after the launch of the Nest® Learning Thermostat™, Nest Labs, Inc. (www.nest.com) today announced the next-generation of the award-winning Nest thermostat, which is 20 percent slimmer and now compatible with 95 percent of low-voltage residential heating and cooling systems. Nest is also releasing version 3.0 of its software. New and existing customers will get several industry-first features that help to even better balance comfort and conservation.

“In the past year, we’ve accomplished a number of notable milestones, from having Nest thermostats connected – and saving money and energy – in every U.S. state and across Canada to achieving best-seller status at Lowe’s, Amazon and Apple’s online store,” said Tony Fadell, Nest founder and chief executive officer. “Our mission is to keep people comfortable in their homes while helping them save energy, and with the next-generation Nest Learning Thermostat, we’re able to spread that comfort and savings to even more homes – and to help higher-efficiency systems perform the way they were meant to.”

Second-Generation Nest Learning Thermostat: Refined Design and Increased Compatibility

The second-generation Nest Learning Thermostat is 20 percent thinner and has a new all-stainless steel ring that mirrors your wall color or pattern to create a chameleon effect and blend into any décor even more effectively. Now compatible with 95 percent of low-voltage heating and cooling systems, the second-generation Nest thermostat extends support to two-stage cooling, three-stage heating, and emergency heat for heat pumps, as well as whole-home humidifiers and dehumidifiers.

Software 3.0 for New and Existing Nest Customers

To help you get the most out of your system and save even more energy, the Nest Learning Thermostat now includes:

System Match – Almost all thermostats are made for conventional forced air systems, but not all systems are conventional. Energy-efficient systems need special control to help them save energy while providing comfort. With System Match, Nest activates custom features depending on what system you have to keep you comfortable and help you save energy.

• Early-On – For forced air systems, get the temperature you want when you want it. If your schedule says 72ºF at 6:00 AM, Early-On will start heating or cooling early so it’ll be 72ºF when your alarm rings at 6:00 AM. Nest also calculates the health of your system’s air filter – based on system runtime – and reminds you to change it when needed to maintain efficiency.

• True Radiant – No more turning on the radiant heat at 4:00 AM so you can be warm by morning. True Radiant delivers predictable comfort with all the energy savings you expect from a radiant system.

• Heat Pump Balance – Nest’s exclusive Heat Pump Balance feature optimizes how often you need to use expensive auxiliary (AUX) heat. Just choose whether you want more comfort or more savings, and Heat Pump Balance will automatically adjust when AUX heat comes on.

Enhanced Auto-Away and Auto-Schedule – Nest personalizes the Auto-Away™ start time for each home and can now enter Auto-Away as soon as 30 minutes after you’ve left the house. This Nest-exclusive feature is active in more than 90 percent of Nest homes. Thanks to Auto-Schedule™, 99 percent of Nests have schedules that match their owners’ lives. With Nest software v3.0, Auto-Schedule can now learn your schedule in the Heat • Cool mode (formerly known as Range mode).

Broader mobile support – More than 90 percent of connected Nest owners use the remote control feature, so in addition to support on computer web browsers, apps for iPhone, iPad and Android smartphones, Nest now supports Android tablets, including Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire.

Additional languages – You can now select English, French or Spanish as your default language on Nest and the Nest apps.

Pricing and Availability

The second-generation Nest Learning Thermostat is available for pre-order now at http://www.nest.com for MSRP $249.00 (U.S.). It will ship to U.S. and Canadian customers beginning in mid-October. In the U.S., the second-generation Nest thermostat will also be available later this month at Amazon, Apple’s online store, and in all 1,700+ Lowe’s stores. Nest Software 3.0 will be delivered automatically to existing customers, beginning tonight.

The original Nest Learning Thermostat now has an MSRP of $229.00 (U.S.) and is available at Lowe’s while supplies last.