The Nest thermostat is one of the top-selling smart thermostats on the market today. And for good reason. It learns your temperature preferences and creates 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 residence or away and can adjust temperatures to help you save even more.

The Nest works with a wide range of 24-volt heating and cooling systems, but it’s always a smart idea to use the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before purchasing one. Don’t forget to contact your energy supplier for valuable rebates, as you could be able to get a Nest for free or close to it.

Once you’ve made sure it’s compatible, you can either install it without help or contact a HVAC professional like Bell Air Conditioning Inc. If you’re putting it in on your own, you’ll spot a terminal for the C-wire, or common wire. This wire is only used for powering your thermostat. If your home or HVAC system is older, you might not have one of these wires. In the majority of cases, Nest says this isn’t a problem since the thermostat can draw enough power from other heating and cooling wires.

In some instances, your heating and cooling system could need that C-wire. And here’s why.

Why Your Nest Keeps Losing Power and Other Malfunctions

The Google Nest Thermostat is an improvement from aging programmable thermostats that use a combination of wiring and AA batteries for power. It relies on 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 Problems

If it can’t receive adequate electricity, Nest says you may run into some of these issues:

  1. Poor battery life.
  2. Thermostat motion sensing won’t operate.
  3. Your thermostat occasionally disconnects from Wi-Fi.
  4. Your system suddenly turns on or off, or won’t turn off.
  5. Your system is creating strange noises, such as chattering, stuttering, clicking or thumping.
  6. Heating or cooling is short cycling, or frequently turning on and off in a short period of time.
  7. There is a delay message on your Nest thermostat’s screen, like “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
  8. The system fan is constantly on, won’t run or turns off and on frequently in a short period of time.

You could worry something is up with your heating and cooling system, but if you just got the Nest, we recommend you check your thermostat right away. This is especially pertinent if the weather is moderate, and you haven’t been running your heat or air conditioning consistently.

Our Professionals Can Fix Nest Thermostat Troubles

If you’ve tried Nest thermostat troubleshooting by yourself but can’t fix the problem, a smart thermostat pro such as one from Bell Air Conditioning Inc can assist you. We can identify the malfunction and put in a C-wire, if needed.

Smart thermostats like the Nest are made to make your life simpler, by automatic energy-efficient programming and the ability to monitor temperatures while you’re out. It’s a frustrating experience when yours won’t work correctly, but our heating and cooling specialists at Bell Air Conditioning Inc can resolve the trouble quickly.

If you’re running into weird heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, call us at to book your appointment right away.