The Nest thermostat is one of the most popular smart thermostats on the market today. And for good reason. It figures out your temperature preferences and makes 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 gone and can raise and lower temperatures to help you save even more.

The Nest is compatible with a vast range of 24-volt heating and cooling systems, but it’s always a smart idea to check the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before installing one. Don’t forget to talk with your energy provider for valuable rebates, since you may 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 on your own or call a HVAC professional like Rescue Heating & Air. If you’re wiring it yourself, you’ll see a terminal for the C-wire, or common wire. This wire is only used for powering your thermostat. If your residence or HVAC system is older, you might not have one of these wires. Most of the time, Nest says this isn’t an issue as the thermostat can get adequate power from other heating and cooling wires.

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

Why Your Nest Keeps Losing Power and Other Problems

The Google Nest Thermostat is better than older programmable thermostats that rely on a combination of wiring and AA batteries for power. It uses a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and wiring to connect to Wi-Fi, power its digital display and operate your heating and cooling system.

8 Common Nest Thermostat Issues

If it can’t draw enough electricity, Nest says you could encounter some of these issues:

  1. Short battery life.
  2. Thermostat motion sensing is disabled.
  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 odd noises, including chattering, stuttering, clicking or thumping.
  6. Heating or cooling is short cycling, or constantly turning on and off in a short period of time.
  7. There is a delay notice on your Nest thermostat’s screen, like “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
  8. The system fan is always on, won’t switch on or turns off and on frequently in a short period of time.

You might think something is suspect with your heating and cooling system, but if you just started using the Nest, we advise you start with your thermostat right away. This is especially pertinent if the weather is mild, and you haven’t been relying on your heat or air conditioning frequently.

Our Professionals Can Solve Nest Thermostat Troubles

If you’ve tried Nest thermostat troubleshooting on your own but can’t repair the issue, a smart thermostat specialist including one from Rescue Heating & Air can assist you. We can diagnose the malfunction and add a C-wire, if required.

Smart thermostats including the Nest are created to make your life simpler, by automatic energy-efficient programming and the option to keep an eye on settings while you’re away from home. It’s a frustrating experience when yours won’t run properly, but our heating and cooling experts at Rescue Heating & Air can fix the problem in no time.

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