The Nest thermostat is one of the most popular smart thermostats you can buy. And for good reason. It figures out your temperature preferences and creates an energy-efficient schedule to match. And using geofencing with your phone, the Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest E know when you’re at your home or away and can raise and lower settings to help you save even more.

The Nest works with a vast range of 24-volt heating and cooling systems, but it’s always a wise idea to visit the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before installing one. Don’t forget to check with your energy supplier for valuable rebates, because you could be able to get a Nest for free or close to it.

Once you’ve checked it’s compatible, you can either install it yourself or call a HVAC specialist like Stephen Hurst Pack Heating and Cooling. If you’re wiring it on your own, you’ll spot 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 an issue as the thermostat can pull adequate power from other heating and cooling wires.

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

Why Your Nest Keeps Losing Power and Other Problems

The Google Nest Thermostat is an improvement from 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 sync with Wi-Fi, power its digital display and run your heating and cooling system.

8 Common Nest Thermostat Problems

If it can’t draw adequate power, Nest says you may encounter some of these problems:

  1. Bad battery life.
  2. Thermostat motion sensing won’t operate.
  3. Your thermostat every now and then disconnects from Wi-Fi.
  4. Your system unexpectedly turns on or off, or won’t turn off.
  5. Your system is producing strange noises, including 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 notification on your Nest thermostat’s screen, along the lines of “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
  8. The system fan is always on, won’t run or turns off and on repeatedly in a short period of time.

You might worry something is up with your heating and cooling system, but if you just started using the Nest, we suggest you start with your thermostat first. This is especially true if the weather is moderate, and you haven’t been relying on your heat or air conditioning consistently.

Our Specialists Can Solve Nest Thermostat Issues

If you’ve tried Nest thermostat troubleshooting on your own but can’t solve the problem, a smart thermostat pro like one from Stephen Hurst Pack Heating and Cooling can support you. We can pinpoint the malfunction and put in a C-wire, if necessary.

Smart thermostats including the Nest are made to make your life easier, with automatic energy-efficient programming and the opportunity to check temps while you’re away from home. It’s a frustrating experience when yours won’t operate like it should, but our heating and cooling experts at Stephen Hurst Pack Heating and Cooling can take care of the problem quickly.

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