How to Turn On the Heat With a Nest Thermostat

Google’s Nest Thermostat is a learning thermostat that saves energy and money while ensuring comfort. The device monitors your behavior and adjusts temperatures according to your preferences.

However, there may be times when your Nest Thermostat doesn’t activate when you want it to. That means you need to know how to turn on the heat manually so you’re not sitting around in the cold. In this article, we’ll show you how it’s done.

How to Turn On the Heat With a Nest Thermostat

Turning on the heat with a Nest Thermostat is as simple as pressing the “Heat Link” button in the center of the device.

For the Nest Thermostat E, you need to press the button twice. Note that you only need to press the button once for the second and third generations of the device. When activated manually, the Nest Thermostat will keep heating your home until you choose to turn it off.

You can only use manual heating if you have disconnected Heat Link from your thermostat. Furthermore, activating manual heating will also turn your hot water on if your Nest device controls your water heater.

Finally, your Nest Thermostat will not be able to follow its regular schedule if you have manually turned the heat on.

How to Turn On Aux Heat on a Nest Thermostat

Auxiliary (Aux) heat is a secondary heat source used during cold weather when heat pumps can’t heat a home as quickly as usual.

Activating aux heat is less energy efficient, but it does result in your home heating up faster.

There are three ways you can control your Nest Thermostat’s aux heat:

Activating Aux Heat With Your Thermostat

1. Press the thermostat’s ring and open the “Quick View” menu.
   
2. Choose the “Settings” option, which is denoted by a small gear icon.
   
3. Select “Nest Sense.”
   
4. Choose “Heat Pump Balance” and pick the aux heating setting from this screen.
   

Activating Aux Heat With the Nest App

1. Open the app and tap the “Settings” icon.
2. Choose your thermostat.
3. Tap the “Heat Pump Balance” option.
4. Select an aux heating setting.

Activating Aux Heat With the Home App

Google recommends downloading and using the Home App if you have a Nest Thermostat. To activate aux heat using this app, do the following:

1. Open the app and select your thermostat.
   
2. Tap the gear icon to reach the “Settings” screen.
   
3. Select the “Temperature Preferences” option.
   
4. Choose “Heat Pump Balance.”
   

As a final note, you can also set your Nest Thermostat to the “Max Comfort” mode. This will lead to the thermostat activating aux heat automatically whenever needed. However, this also means you have less control when this expensive option activates.

Additional FAQ

Why Is My Nest Not Turning on My Heat?

There are several reasons why your Nest Thermostat may not turn your heat on:

1. There are compatibility issues between your heating system and the device. Many older heating systems, such as high voltage and solid fuel systems, are incompatible with the Nest Thermostat.

2. There is a blown fuse somewhere that’s preventing the circuit from providing power. If this is the case, locate it and replace it with the same model and voltage.

3. There is an issue with your Nest device.

For this third possible cause, several issues may affect the Nest Thermostat and prevent it from turning on:

· The thermostat can’t connect to your Wi-Fi.

· The Nest is running slower than usual.

· There is a connection issue between the device and its base.

· The battery is running low.

You may solve the issue by removing the Nest Thermostat from its base and then returning it to renew the connection. If this doesn’t work, detach the device and charge it using the USB cable that came with it.

If a fully charged device still doesn’t work, you can perform a reset:

1. Press the device’s thermostat ring to open the “Quick View” menu.

2. Select the “Settings” gear icon.

3. Choose “Reset” and press “Select.”

The device will take a couple of minutes to reset. Once it does, plug it back into its base to test it. If the problem persists, you may need to call a professional for help.

Does Nest Thermostat Automatically Switch Between Heat and Cool?

It does, as long as you set the device to do so.

1. Open the Nest app and choose your thermostat from the home screen.

2. Check the bottom-left corner of the screen to see your thermostat’s current setting. It will say either “Heat” or “Cool.”

3. Tap that setting to activate a pop-up box.

4. Choose the “Heat-Cool” option.

5. Select the temperature range you’d like to keep inside your home.

The Nest Thermostat will now automatically switch between heat and cool to maintain your chosen temperature.

You can also activate this setting using the Nest Thermostat itself:

1. Press the device’s thermostat ring to open the “Quick Menu.”

2. Select the “Thermostat” option.

3. Select the “Heat-Cool” setting.

What Heating Systems Is the Nest Thermostat Compatible With?

The Nest Thermostat is compatible with a range of heating systems, including:

• Hot water tanks

• Combi boilers

• Heat only boilers

• System boilers

• Zoned heating systems

• Hydronic underfloor systems

• Systems using OpenTherm technology

• Air and ground-source heat pumps

If you’re unsure if you have a compatible heating system, check Nest’s compatibility guide.

Control Your Home’s Temperature

The Nest Thermostat offers an automated way of maintaining the ideal temperature in your home by removing the need to manually alter the settings.

Thankfully, you can maintain some level of control if you’d prefer to use the heating or cooling functions without the device dictating when they activate.

We’d like to know if you’ve used the Nest Thermostat. Does it offer all of the savings that Google claims it does? What effect has it had on your energy usage and bills? Let us know in the comments section below.