this thing is very expensive and inconvenient

[geneweygandt1]

I've had this Nest for about a year. Thru the winter I adjusted the temp manually a couple x a day. This summer I thought I'd set it up and connect to my iPhone. My utility bill has skyrocketed. At least quadrupled. I set it to "sense when I'm away" and that never ever has any relationship to the temp of the house. Sometimes I return and it's 'freezing." Sometimes it's the same as outdoors. I used the default daily time settings, but in order to shut the thing off when the house is freezing at 10:30 pm. I have to turn it up as high as 80 degrees. Then when the house starts to warm up, I have to turn it down to 76 or 77 to get it to start cooling.  I'm 73 YO and IK what 82 degrees feels like and what 67 degrees feels like. These are pretty close approximations of how my house fluctuates in any 24 hour period. 

My first thought is to go buy a thermostat. You know. A real thermostat.

Advice? TIA

[CoolingWizard]

The Nest Thermostat is tethered to the primary account holder and nest app on the phone.  When that phone leaves the house, the Nest will activate the ECO temperature settings you choose.  When that phone returns home the Nest Thermostat switches to Home status and your scheduled temperature or the last temperature set before you left. Clearly you have to make that ECO are set properly.  

AC Cooling Wizard