Smart thermostats can provide significant energy-saving benefits. If you’re considering upgrading to a Nest thermostat in your home, you may have a lot of questions, but we’re here to help. This post will cover the differences between standard, smart, and learning thermostats and provide helpful information about how to use your Nest thermostat.

What are smart thermostats?

Standard thermostats do a great job keeping your home at a comfortable temperature. But smart thermostats feature advanced technology that goes above and beyond to deliver even more benefits.

Smart thermostats are Wi-Fi-enabled devices that connect to your heating and cooling systems. These devices automatically adjust the temperature and can be programmed from anywhere through an app on your phone, tablet, or computer.

For example, during the cold winter months, you may lower the temperature when you are away from home to save on energy. Then, you can increase the temperature when you are on your way home so it will be warm and cozy when you arrive. Not only is this incredibly convenient, but it also dramatically improves heating and cooling efficiency and results in significant savings on your utility bill.

Smart thermostats are also very easy and quick to install. At Beantown Home Services, our technicians are experienced and well-trained in installing, diagnosing, and repairing digital thermostats so you can be relaxed and comfortable in your home.

Are you ready to upgrade your standard thermostat to a smart thermostat? Beantown Home Services offers several different models of thermostats, and we can help you select the best one for your needs!

Within the category of smart thermostats, there is an even more advanced option known as learning thermostats.

Nest Learning Thermostat

The Nest Learning Thermostat is Google’s premium smart thermostat. It includes advanced features in appearance and functionality.

The attractive design features a metal ring, a classic turn dial, and a high-res display. It also comes in more color options than the standard model and includes a trim kit.

One additional feature that takes the Nest Learning Thermostat to the next level is Farsight. This technology senses when you are near the display and shows the weather, time, and temperature. More impressive, however, is the learning algorithm, which is intuitively designed to learn your schedule over time and automatically make adjustments for you.

Nest Learning Thermostat How-to Videos

Nest Learning Thermostats are great for convenience, comfort, and energy savings. But if you have only used a simple or programmable thermostat in the past, there is a learning curve. So, Beantown Home Services created this Nest 101 Video Crash Course to make it easy! Check out the videos below to learn how to quickly and easily switch modes, set schedules, and more.

How To: Switch from Heat to Cool Mode

Wondering how to switch your thermostat from heat to cool mode or vice versa? Watch the video or follow these easy steps.

1. Press the Home Screen.
2. Spin the dial to Mode and press Enter. This action will produce a list of available modes (Heat, Cool, Heat-Cool, and Off).
3. Spin the dial until the desired Mode is highlighted, then press Enter. The selected mode is now activated.

How To: Remove the Home/Away Assist Feature

The Nest can tell through your phone when you’re home and when you’re not. When it thinks you are not home, it will go to an energy-saving setting. This is not always desirable, so if you want to remove this feature, here’s how.

1. Press the Home Screen.
2. Spin the dial to Settings and press Enter.
3. Select Home/Away Assist and press Enter.
4. Select “Stop Using” and press Enter. The Home/Away feature is now turned off.

How To: Program A Schedule

Programming a schedule on your Nest Thermostat will tell it what temperature you want it to adjust to automatically at different times and days of the week. Follow these steps to program a schedule on your Nest thermostat.

1. First, ensure you are in the mode you want to set the schedule for (Heat or Cool).
2. Press the Home Screen.
3. Spin the dial to Schedule and press Enter. This will show the whole week’s schedule.
4. To set a new schedule, press Enter and select New.
5. Spin the dial until you find the day and time you want to program. Press Enter to select.
6. Spin the dial to choose the desired temperature, then press Enter to lock it in.
7. Program as many new schedules as desired using steps 4-6.
8. When you are finished programming, press Enter and select Done to return to the home screen.

How To: Remove A Schedule

Removing a schedule from your Nest thermostat is easy.

1. Press the Home Screen.
2. Spin the dial to Settings and press Enter.
3. Spin the dial to Reset and press Enter.
4. Select Schedule and press Enter.
5. Select Reset and press Enter.
6. Spin the ring to confirm and press Enter.
7. After ten seconds, the schedule will be removed.

How To: Turn Off Auto-Schedule

A common problem customers have when using their Nest Thermostat is the temperature mysteriously changing on its own. When this happens, more than likely, the Auto-Schedule feature is on. Here is how to remove this feature.

1. Press the Home Screen.
2. Spin the dial to Settings and press Enter.
3. Spin the dial to Nest Sense and press Enter.
4. Select Auto-Schedule and press Enter.
5. Select Off and press Enter. The Auto-Schedule is now turned off, so your set temperature will stay indefinitely.

We hope this video crash course is helpful when learning how to use your Nest Thermostat! If you have any further questions, contact us or schedule service online.