The Nest thermostat is one of the top-selling smart thermostats you can buy. And for good reason. It figures out 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 out and about and can raise and lower settings 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 good idea to check the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before getting one. Don’t forget to contact your energy supplier for valuable rebates, as you might be able to get a Nest for free or close to it.

Once you’ve checked it’s compatible, you can either hook it up without help or call a HVAC pro like I-Deal HVAC. If you’re installing it yourself, you’ll see a terminal for the C-wire, or common wire. This wire is solely 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 ample power from other heating and cooling wires.

Sometimes, your heating and cooling system might 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 use 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 turn on your heating and cooling system.

8 Common Nest Thermostat Issues

If it can’t get enough juice, Nest says you may encounter some of these issues:

  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 turn off.
  5. Your system is making strange noises, such as 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, such as “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
  8. The system fan is continuously running, won’t turn on or turns off and on rapidly in a short period of time.

You may think something is wrong with your heating and cooling system, but if you just started using the Nest, we suggest you start with your thermostat initially. This is especially timely if the weather is temperate, and you haven’t been running your heat or air conditioning consistently.

Our Specialists Can Resolve Nest Thermostat Issues

If you’ve tried Nest thermostat troubleshooting by yourself but can’t repair the problem, a smart thermostat pro such as one from I-Deal HVAC can support you. We can diagnose the malfunction and put in a C-wire, if needed.

Smart thermostats like the Nest are created to make your life easier, by automatic energy-efficient programming and the ability to monitor temps while you’re on the go. It’s a frustrating experience when yours won’t operate correctly, but our heating and cooling pros at I-Deal HVAC can take care of the trouble in no time.

If you’re going through atypical heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, reach out to us at to schedule your appointment right away.