The Nest thermostat is one of the top-selling smart thermostats you can get. And for good reason. It figures out your temperature preferences and makes an energy-efficient schedule to match. And through geofencing with your phone, the Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest E know when you’re at your home or away and can change settings to help you save even more.

The Nest is compatible with a full range of 24-volt heating and cooling systems, but it’s always a wise idea to check the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before purchasing one. Don’t forget to check with your energy supplier for valuable rebates, since you might 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 without help or call a HVAC professional like Alpine Summit Heating & Cooling. If you’re wiring it on your own, you’ll see 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. Most of the time, Nest says this isn’t an issue as the thermostat can draw ample power from other heating and cooling wires.

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

Why Your Nest Keeps Losing Power and Other Malfunctions

The Google Nest Thermostat is a step up from older programmable thermostats that use a combination of wiring and AA batteries for power. It relies on 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 Malfunctions

If it can’t receive ample electricity, Nest says you may have some of these troubles:

  1. Short battery life.
  2. Thermostat motion sensing won’t work.
  3. Your thermostat every now and then disconnects from Wi-Fi.
  4. Your system abruptly turns on or off, or won’t shut off.
  5. Your system is creating odd noises, including chattering, stuttering, clicking or thumping.
  6. Heating or cooling is short cycling, or repeatedly turning on and off in a short period of time.
  7. There is a delay message on your Nest thermostat’s screen, such as “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
  8. The system fan is continuously running, won’t switch on or turns off and on repeatedly in a short period of time.

You might worry something is wrong with your heating and cooling system, but if you just installed the Nest, it’s best to start with your thermostat initially. This is especially timely if the weather is temperate, and you haven’t been using your heat or air conditioning frequently.

Our Professionals Can Resolve Nest Thermostat Issues

If you’ve tried Nest thermostat troubleshooting without help but can’t solve the problem, a smart thermostat pro including one from Alpine Summit Heating & Cooling can provide support. We can determine the issue and install a C-wire, if required.

Smart thermostats including the Nest are made to make your life easier, through automatic energy-efficient programming and the option to check settings while you’re out. It’s a frustrating experience when yours won’t operate properly, but our heating and cooling experts at Alpine Summit Heating & Cooling can fix the trouble fast.

If you’re going through atypical heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, call us at to book your appointment today.