Having a Nest Thermostat is the perfect way of keeping your home at the right temperature throughout the year and also saving you money at the same time. Although Nest is a great gadget to have in your home, like any piece of technology, there is the chance it could fail or, in some cases, not turn on at all.
But there’s no need to panic; you won’t be without heat in your home for long as there are a few reasons why this could be happening, and the good news is they are all fixable at home, so you don’t need to spend money on a brand new thermostat.
The Four Most Common Reasons Why your Nest Thermostat is Not Turning On
If your Nest Thermostat isn’t turning on, here are four of the most common reasons this could be happening.
1. A Red Blinking Light
If your Nest thermostat won’t turn on and you see a red blinking light, this indicates that your Nest battery is low and needs to be charged. If you need your thermostat to charge up quickly, you can disconnect the thermostat display and connect it and charge via the USB port that should have been with your device when you bought it.
Once your Nest has recharged, you should be able to turn it back on by pressing it down firmly onto the display it sits in and clicking it into place. Your thermostat should return to normal and turn on automatically from then on.
2. A Green Blinking Light
If you’re having trouble turning your Nest thermostat on properly and seeing a green blinking light, your thermostat is automatically updating its software. Whilst it is doing this, your Nest Thermostat won’t turn, and the display should come back on by itself in 1-2 minutes.
If the green blinking is still happening, but the display is still blank longer than the time suggested, then in this rare case, you may have to restart your Nest thermostat manually. To do this, you will have to hold down the display for around 10 seconds and then release it. The thermostat should reset and go back to normal again.
3. The Nest Thermostat is Unresponsive With No Lights
If you are experiencing your thermostat not being responsive at all and there are no blinking lights to indicate what the issue may be, then the first port of call is that your Nest is completely drained, to the point where even your battery low light doesn’t work. To solve this, follow the same steps as number one and then once plugged in to charge, if you start to see a blinking red light, this means your Nest is okay and just needed charging.
But if you try this and still nothing is happening, and your Nest thermostat is still unresponsive with no lights blinking, then here are some other things you can try to solve it:
- Make sure to go around your fuse box or circuit breaker and make sure that the power to your NEest device is on still and there isn’t anything that has disrupted the signal.
- Check all of the wirings to and from your Nest thermostat, and make sure there isn’t any damage, melting or frayed wires that could be the reason for the unresponsiveness.
- Look at what electrical system you have in your home because not all systems are compatible with the Nest and can cause damage to the thermostat if you still try to connect it.
4. Error Message or Wiring Report
When your Nest thermostat is experiencing an issue with the system’s hardware or the internet connection, your thermostat will go blank and then show either an error message or will indicate that it needs a wiring report.
If this happens to you, the best thing to do is find the error code troubleshooting protocol for your model of Nest Thermostat in the instruction manual that came with it. This manual should explain the meaning behind the error code and will tell you if you can fix the problem yourself or if it needs to be seen by a professional or get replaced entirely. You may see similar issues to the false chime from ring if you have faulty wiring, so it's very common across smart home products as a whole, and not just specific to nest.
Final Thoughts
Nest thermostats are a great addition to your home, and if looked after properly, they can keep you and your home at a pleasant temperature for a long time. Hopefully, these steps will allow you to fix your Nest thermostat not turning on at home by yourself.
But if you are still struggling with your Nest and you’re not sure why then get in touch with a professional as they will be able to give your Nest thermostat a proper diagnosis and fix it for you or give you the tools to fix it yourself.
FAQs
How will I know If my Nest thermostat is charging?
You will know if your Nest thermostat is properly charging if you can see a red blinking light flashing continuously on the top of your thermostat.
Why will my Nest thermostat not work correctly?
If your Nest isn’t turning on at all, this could be a power issue and means that your battery has most likely died and will need recharging.
What will resetting the Nest thermostat do?
By resetting your Nest thermostat, you will erase all of the personalised options you picked to keep your home at the right temperature for you, and these settings will need to be added again. You will also have to reset your Nest thermostat when moving to a new location so that you can get a fresh reading for your new home.