The Nest thermostat is one of the top-selling smart thermostats you can get. And for good reason. It learns 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 gone and can change temperatures to help you save even more.

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

Once you’ve checked it’s compatible, you can either install it without help or contact a HVAC pro like MPC Heating & Cooling. If you’re installing it without help, you’ll spot a terminal for the C-wire, or common wire. This wire is just used for powering your thermostat. If your home or HVAC system is older, you might not have one of these wires. In most cases, Nest says this isn’t a problem since the thermostat can pull adequate power from other heating and cooling wires.

In some cases, 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 an improvement from aging 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 operate your heating and cooling system.

8 Common Nest Thermostat Problems

If it can’t receive adequate juice, Nest says you might run into some of these issues:

  1. Short battery life.
  2. Thermostat motion sensing won’t operate.
  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 producing 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 notification on your Nest thermostat’s screen, such as “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
  8. The system fan is continuously working, won’t turn on or turns off and on rapidly in a short period of time.

You could worry something is wrong with your heating and cooling system, but if you just got 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 much.

Our Specialists Can Fix Nest Thermostat Troubles

If you’ve attempted Nest thermostat troubleshooting by yourself but can’t repair the issue, a smart thermostat pro including one from MPC Heating & Cooling can support you. We can pinpoint the problem and put in a C-wire, if needed.

Smart thermostats including the Nest are created to make your life more convenient, through automatic energy-efficient programming and the opportunity to monitor temps while you’re away from home. It’s an annoying experience when yours won’t run correctly, but our heating and cooling pros at MPC Heating & Cooling can resolve the issue quickly.

If you’re running into odd heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, give us a call at to schedule your appointment today.