The Nest thermostat is one of the top-selling smart thermostats on the market today. And for good reason. It picks up on 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 out and about and can change temperatures to help you save even more.

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

Once you’ve confirmed it’s compatible, you can either hook it up yourself or contact a HVAC specialist like Alpine Summit Heating & Cooling. If you’re putting it in yourself, you’ll notice a terminal for the C-wire, or common wire. This wire is just used for powering your thermostat. If your residence or HVAC system is older, you might not have one of these wires. In most cases, Nest says this isn’t a problem as the thermostat can draw ample power from other heating and cooling wires.

Sometimes, 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 better than aging programmable thermostats that have 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 run your heating and cooling system.

8 Common Nest Thermostat Problems

If it can’t draw enough electricity, Nest says you might run into some of these troubles:

  1. Poor battery life.
  2. Thermostat motion sensing won’t work.
  3. Your thermostat sometimes disconnects from Wi-Fi.
  4. Your system suddenly turns on or off, or won’t stop running.
  5. Your system is producing odd noises, like 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, along the lines of “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
  8. The system fan is always working, won’t turn on or turns off and on repeatedly in a short period of time.

You might think something is up with your heating and cooling system, but if you just started using the Nest, we suggest you begin with your thermostat right away. This is especially pertinent if the weather is moderate, and you haven’t been using your heat or air conditioning much.

Our Specialists Can Resolve Nest Thermostat Troubles

If you’ve tried Nest thermostat troubleshooting without help but can’t repair the problem, a smart thermostat professional such as one from Alpine Summit Heating & Cooling can provide support. We can pinpoint the problem and put in a C-wire, if necessary.

Smart thermostats such as the Nest are designed to make your life simpler, through automatic energy-efficient programming and the ability to check settings while you’re on the go. It’s a frustrating experience when yours won’t operate correctly, but our heating and cooling pros at Alpine Summit Heating & Cooling can take care of the trouble fast.

If you’re going through atypical heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, give us a call at to request your appointment now.