The Nest thermostat is one of the most popular smart thermostats on the market today. And for good reason. It learns your temperature preferences and develops an energy-efficient schedule to match. And by geofencing with your phone, the Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest E realize when you’re at your house or out and about and can change temperatures to help you save even more.
The Nest is compatible with a wide range of 24-volt heating and cooling systems, but it’s always a good idea to use the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before purchasing one. Don’t forget to contact your energy supplier for valuable rebates, as you might be able to get a Nest for free or close to it.
Once you’ve made sure it’s compatible, you can either wire it yourself or hire a HVAC specialist like Interstate Heating & Air Conditioning. If you’re wiring it without help, you’ll see a terminal for the C-wire, or common wire. This wire is just used for powering your thermostat. If your house or HVAC system is older, you might not have one of these wires. Most of the time, Nest says this isn’t a setback since the thermostat can pull enough power from other heating and cooling wires.
In some instances, your heating and cooling system may require that C-wire. And here’s why.
Why Your Nest Keeps Losing Power and Other Problems
The Google Nest Thermostat is a step up from aging programmable thermostats that rely on a combination of wiring and AA batteries for power. It has a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and wiring to connect to Wi-Fi, power its digital display and turn on your heating and cooling system.
8 Common Nest Thermostat Malfunctions
If it can’t receive enough juice, Nest says you could run into some of these issues:
- Short battery life.
- Thermostat motion sensing won’t work.
- Your thermostat occasionally disconnects from Wi-Fi.
- Your system unexpectedly turns on or off, or won’t shut off.
- Your system is making strange noises, such as chattering, stuttering, clicking or thumping.
- Heating or cooling is short cycling, or constantly turning on and off in a short period of time.
- There is a delay notification on your Nest thermostat’s screen, such as “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
- The system fan is constantly on, won’t switch on or turns off and on frequently in a short period of time.
You might worry something is up with your heating and cooling system, but if you just installed the Nest, we recommend you start with your thermostat first. This is especially true if the weather is temperate, and you haven’t been using your heat or air conditioning much.
Our Professionals Can Solve Nest Thermostat Issues
If you’ve tried Nest thermostat troubleshooting on your own but can’t fix the dilemma, a smart thermostat professional like one from Interstate Heating & Air Conditioning can provide support. We can pinpoint the issue and put in a C-wire, if necessary.
Smart thermostats such as the Nest are created to make your life simpler, through automatic energy-efficient programming and the opportunity to keep an eye on temperatures while you’re on the go. It’s an annoying experience when yours won’t operate like it should, but our heating and cooling experts at Interstate Heating & Air Conditioning can resolve the problem in no time.
If you’re experiencing odd heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, give us a call at to schedule your appointment right away.