I was intrigued this morning to receive a tweet from my son, @ericsdixon, introducing the Nest Thermostat, an elegantly-styled “Learning Thermostat,” from a venture backed startup led by Tony Fadell, who led the team that created the first 18 generations of the iPod and the first three generations of the iPhone.

Five things specifically intrigued me:

• The elegant design
• The ability of the device to learn a pattern of use
• WiFi connection
• Remote control from a mobile app
• Potential energy savings

It is the fifth bullet that gets me excited.  I have a big home in Arizona with four air conditioning zones and a big electric bill each month.  If Nest’s claim that their new thermostat can save home owners 20 to 30 percent on their energy bills is correct, I could buy four Nests and earn back that hefty price of a thousand dollars in less than 18 months.  That possibility is enough to make the Nest worth a deeper look.