Nest Thermostat Review

Google's Nest Thermostat changed the energy savings game when it debuted in 2011. Now in its third generation, it still makes heating and cooling your house a breeze. The more you interact with the Nest Learning Thermostat, the faster it learns what you like and adjusts accordingly.

This learning thermostat is expensive initially but saves money and energy every month with features like auto-away and auto-schedule. At the end of the month, it generates an energy report highlighting how much you saved and how to improve your bill even more. Can your old thermostat do that?

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Both Nest thermostats offer Energy Star certification, easy installation, smart home integrations, and extensive energy-saving features. We love it. You can expect the following features, whether you’re getting the Nest Thermostat or Nest Learning Thermostat (3rd Gen).

Nest offers so many energy-saving features that it's hard to keep track of everything—here are our favorites.

Nest uses occupancy sensors and your phone's location to trigger an auto-away feature that adjusts the thermostat to an energy-saving Eco Temperature. Whether you're on vacation or around the block, the auto-away feature adjusts the thermostat to save the most energy and money.

One of our favorite features is the Nest Home Report, an email full of information about energy usage, what's using it, and how it compares to previous months. It's not as detailed as Ecobee's offering, but you'll find plenty of insights about your system.

The iconic Nest Leaf appears on the thermostat's display when you choose an energy-saving temperature. It's a tangible goal to improve your energy usage in the long term, though it may leave you a little chillier in the winter or warmer in the summer.

Nest Renew is a free service that helps tune your schedule to take advantage of off-peak energy prices, renewable energy, and seasonal changes. It's also a great way to learn about some of Nest's best energy-saving features:

• Energy Shift can precool or preheat your home to move most of your energy usage to off-peak hours or when your rooftop solar panels are active, which can save on electricity bills. Rush Hour Rewards is similar but partners with your utility companies to help reduce demand on the grid.
• Seasonal Adjustments and Seasonal Savings automatically adapt your settings during warmer and cooler weather. These are incredible tools for staying comfortable while making up to two adjustments per season.

Both Google Nest Thermostats connect to smart home platforms like Amazon Alexa, Google Home, IFTTT, and Samsung SmartThings. Once connected, you can change the thermostat, set schedules, and use voice controls.

Nest Thermostats also connect to home security systems like ADT, Brinks, and Vivint. If you have other Nest devices like Nest cameras, you can set automations that make your home smarter.

Despite sharing many core features, Nest's thermostat models have different pricing, system compatibility, scheduling, design, and controls. Let's run through some key differences to help you determine which option is best for your needs.

Check out our retrospective on the original Nest thermostat to learn how it evolved.

The Google Nest Thermostat uses fewer wire terminals than its pricier sibling—making it compatible with only 85% of 24V HVAC systems. Fortunately, it still works with most furnaces, air conditioners, heat pumps, and boilers, so there's a good chance your system's compatible.

While there's support for two-stage operation on the new Nest Thermostat, you must choose heating or cooling—it can't use both simultaneously. This means you can use two stages on your furnace but only a single-stage air conditioner—and vice versa. Likewise, Nest Thermostat won't work with HVAC accessories like ventilators, humidifiers, and dehumidifiers.

If your existing system uses HVAC accessories or simultaneous multistage heating and cooling, you'll want the Nest Learning Thermostat, which supports up to 95% of HVAC systems.

The Google Nest Learning Thermostat's Auto-Schedule feature remembers when you regularly come and go and creates an estimated schedule for your home's temperature. This feature's convenience is key to Nest Learning Thermostat topping our rankings against Ecobee and Wyze.

It takes about a week for the thermostat to learn your routine. Feeling impatient? You can adjust it manually in the Nest app at regular intervals for the first few days or program a basic schedule as a template for the learning feature. It won't choose a temperature you haven't used, so interacting with your thermostat is the best way to teach it your preferences.

As great as Auto-Schedule is, it's not available on the basic Nest Thermostat. Instead, Nest uses a guided schedule to help program the thermostat to your liking. It's more work to set up than an Auto-Schedule, but there are plenty of helpful presets and customization options to fit your needs. Plus, the semi-automatic Savings Finder suggests new settings, which you can accept or dismiss.

Manually setting your schedule doesn't affect Nest Thermostat's other energy-saving features like Nest Renew, Seasonal Savings, Home & Away, and Eco Temperatures.

Each thermostat's price is apparent in the build quality—the budget Nest Thermostat uses more plastic than the premium metal construction of the Learning Thermostat. While both products use a backup battery to reduce reliance on a C-Wire for power, the Nest Thermostat's off-the-shelf AAA batteries aren't rechargeable like the Nest Learning Thermostat's built-in battery.

Both Nest thermostat models are roughly the same size, but the Nest Learning Thermostat uses a smaller display with a higher resolution. It also boasts Farsight, which shows the time, weather, or current temperature when you walk by.

Even though the Nest Learning Thermostat's display looks better, the clean mirror finish of the Nest Thermostat is stunning in its own way. Nest doesn't use touchscreens, so consider a brand like Ecobee for that option.

You control the Nest Learning Thermostat by rotating the outer ring and pressing it toward the wall to confirm your settings. We love how natural this feels—going through menus and changing settings makes you feel like a safe cracker. In contrast, Nest Thermostat replaces the outer ring with a touch strip on the side of the device. It's easy enough to use but lacks the tactile satisfaction of the ring.

Okay, this is a weird one: Nest Learning Thermostat uses two mobile apps. You'll use the Nest app during installation and setup before switching to the Google Home app for everyday use. It's not a huge inconvenience, but hardly as streamlined as the Nest Thermostat, which exclusively uses Google Home.

(This model predates Google Home, so it's easier for Google to use the legacy Nest app instead of redesigning a thermostat from 2015.)

The best smart thermostats share similar automation features that give you control from afar—like a mobile app, easy scheduling, and self-adjusting technology. Installation is the same across the board too. Nest's learning thermostat stands out with its sleek look, monthly energy report, and long-term savings.

If you'd rather save money up front, brands like Ecobee and Honeywell have products that give Nest a run for its money. But if you want a thermostat with style and a couple of extra features, Google Nest is where it's at.

It takes only a screwdriver and some patience to install a Nest thermostat. Before you buy, make sure your current thermostat is compatible with Nest's wiring.

1. Start by turning off your HVAC system, then pull the old thermostat off its base plate. Leave the plate in place for now.
2. Label each wire based on its corresponding base plate terminal using the included wire labels. After labeling your wires, finish removing the old thermostat.
3. Place the Nest base plate on the wall and secure it with the included screws. Both Nest models have a level to keep things straight.
   • Pulling the wires through the base's center hole keeps them out of the way during mounting.
   • Nest includes a trim plate with the Learning Thermostat that can cover screw holes from the previous thermostat. You must buy it separately for the Nest Thermostat.
4. Now slide the wires into the labeled tabs of the base. Once they fit snugly, gently push any extra wire through the hole until it doesn't stick out.
5. Snap on the display and turn the power back on.
6. From here, it's all digital. You'll use the Nest Thermostat display to connect to Wi-Fi and the app. Then select language and temperature settings.

If you want to connect to a smart home right after setup, that adds a little more time but saves stress later.

• Google Home: Modern Nest accounts use your Google account so your Nest Thermostat pairs with Google Home automatically. You may need to migrate old Nest accounts to Google.
• Amazon Alexa: Alexa can use the Google Nest skill to connect to Nest products like the smart thermostat and security camera. Just add the skill in the Alexa app, and you're good to go!
• Other systems: You can look up Nest in your system app and follow the prompts to link your accounts.

Check out our in-depth comparison to see how Amazon Alexa compares to Google Home.

With Nest, it takes money to save money, but you can find discounts through your local energy provider if you know where to look.

While they're expensive upfront, the Nest Learning Thermostat and the Nest Thermostat can save you hundreds of dollars over the years. They pay for themselves with convenient features and send reports on how to save even more. It doesn't hurt that these smart thermostats are beautiful, either.

And while you can find similar features in other smart thermostats, their connectivity to smart speakers, security systems, and other products, like the Nest Cam battery, is unmatched.

We got our hands on a Nest Learning Thermostat and took notes on installation and standout features (good and bad). This isn't the first smart thermostat we've reviewed, so we compared it to similar products to see if Nest really is the best. We also checked other reviews and installation videos to see how this learning thermostat worked for others.

We combined everything we learned about the device, its competitors, and customer reviews to create this comprehensive guide to both versions of Google's Nest Thermostat. Check out our methodology to learn more about how we conduct reviews on SafeWise.

• Best Smart Thermostat
• Ecobee vs. Nest
• How Nest Can Turn Your House into a Smart Home
• We Reviewed the Suite of Nest Cameras
• Ultimate Guide to Google Assistant and Google Nest Products
• Best Google Home Compatible Devices
• Nest Protect Smoke Alarm Review

1. Google Nest, "Real Savings | Nest." Accessed December 15, 2022.
2. Energy.gov, "Thermostats," January 2013. Accessed December 15, 2022.