Smart homes: Who knew a thermostat could be so hip?

The effort to get consumers engaged in energy efficiency on the home front may get a little easier, thanks to some Apple and Google alums running a Silicon Valley startup called Nest.

The first product out of the Nest? It's called the Nest Learning Thermostat and it is so smart it can program itself by learning your household heating and cooling habits and by sensing movement or light. As CEO Tony Fadell – known as the godfather of the iPod – told Reuters, if you turn your heat down before going to bed two nights in a row, the Nest will start turning it down at the same time to the same level the next night. You can also connect the thermostat to your home W-Fi network, allowing you to adjust it via iPhone or computer.

Besides being smart, it's a spiffy looking gadget that comes in different colors and boasts a design that is certainly more interesting than the boring beige box that serves as the thermostat in most households.  But the question is, will consumers pay $249 for what is, after all, a thermostat? Use the Talk Back form below to tell us what you think.