Google's Nest Learning Thermostat is one of the better smart home gadgets out there, but at $250 for something that is normally under 50 bucks, it's an expensive upgrade. According to CNET, Nest is going to remove this barrier to entry by taking a page out of the smartphone playbook: it's offering the thermostat for free with a two-year contract.

For now the program is only in Ireland, where a deal with Electric Ireland subsidizes the Nest device with an electricity contract. Ireland seems like an odd place to start, but Nest Chief Executive Tony Fadell says the company will "bring it out to hopefully many more countries."

Back in February of this year, Google bought Nest for 3.2 billion. Nest is run as a separate subsidiary, and so far we haven't heard much from the combined-but-not-combined group—it's been business as usual.

Smartphones usually do a two-year subsidy deal, but there are penalties for leaving the contract early, usually in the form of a $350-450 early termination fee. The details of this deal weren't announced, but when they are, the fine print is worth taking a look at.

Fadell is really excited about the idea, though. "This is a seminal event in Ireland [that] we think is going to change the world," he said. That might be overselling things a bit, but the deal will put Nest on a lot more walls. Just in Ireland, the product is now free to 1.6 million households. And the electric company will advertise the Nest to potential customers, where putting the word "free" in big, bold letters is sure to attract some business.