The Nest Thermostat by Google Nest is a next-gen thermostat based on machine learning that automatically regulates temperature based on user behavior.
It’s compatible with almost every standard HVAC system and works over Wi-Fi to control it.
The temperature on your Nest may be inaccurate if the device is placed on a poorly insulated wall, near a door, window, or HVAC system. Place the Nest in the center of a room, away from anything that may affect temperature. Give it time to learn your routine. If that fails, use manual settings.
This article discusses how a nest works, factors that may affect a Nest thermostat’s accuracy, and how to test your home’s temperature with several different thermometers. Read on to figure out just how accurate your Nest device truly is.
How Does a Nest Work?
The Nest thermostat works by adjusting temperatures based on your routine. It learns your temperature preference and regulates the HVAC accordingly. There are built-in motion sensors that detect the presence of people in the room and turn on/off the heating/cooling depending on how many people are present.
The Nest has a digital display that shows two types of temperature – target and current temperature.
The target temperature is what you have set according to your routine.
The current temperature is the ambient temperature of your house at any given moment.
There is also a dial that you can rotate to increase/decrease temperature.
The Nest support website clearly shows how you should connect your HVAC wires with your Nest. It is super-easy, but if you don’t know how to do it, you should watch the following video:
Factors That May Affect Your Nest’s Accuracy
There are several factors that may contribute to an inaccurate temperature reading on your Nest thermostat.
House’s Insulation
Sometimes, thermostats give wrong readings because of the heating/cooling system of the house.
If you place the Nest on a poorly insulated wall, it will provide you with a temperature reading different from what you feel.
However, you should keep in mind that even Google says the Nest thermostat will show a different temperature than your home temperature.
This is because Nest reduces the burden on the HVAC system and also helps save power.
It is important to note that while setting up your Nest, you need to enter the correct type of heating system in your house. Failing to do this might cause your Nest to act weirdly.
You can find a list of all the different types of heating systems via Google’s website.
Position of the Nest Matters
Where you place the Nest is also important.
If it is somewhere near the door, it will make the room cooler or hotter depending on the temperature outside.
The ideal place for a Nest is inside the room is in the center and away from sunlight, doors and windows, air conditioning, heater, or any other object that might influence the temperature.
Climate in Your Area
If you compare two Nest devices in two separate environments – one that is stable and one that fluctuates – then the second device is bound to show errors.
The main reason is that there are three sensors, one of which measures the humidity in the environment.
One way to fix too many wrong readings and determine if your Nest is working correctly or not is by using the thermostat entirely manually.
Even though the primary purpose of a Nest device is automatic regulation, you can do this to check if your device is showing an accurate temperature or not.
To turn it into manual mode, simply turn off the auto-learning mode on your device.
Your Routine
A Nest thermostat will not work right away out of the box.
You have to teach it to behave in a way that suits your routine.
In most cases, the Nest works flawlessly and accurately regulates temperature.
If you are someone who mostly follows a simple routine, then your thermostat will have no problem learning your movements in a few days.
But if you have an erratic lifestyle with many people coming over, the Nest will determine a middle ground.
It will do its best to regulate the temperature but may not always select the optimal temperature.
Experiment With Multiple Thermometers
If all the questions above indicate that you or the weather have not influenced the Nest in any way, then it’s time to conduct a simple experiment.
Get two or three different types of thermometers to check if your Nest is really working or not.
Here are a couple of options that you can purchase from Amazon.com:
- Indoor Outdoor Thermometer Wireless. This 8-inch (20.32 cm) thermometer cum hygrometer is a durable weather monitor that can be placed both inside and outside the house. It is easy to read and measures temperature/humidity between -40 and 120℉ (-40 and 48°C). It also calibrates itself automatically every 2 – 3 hours.
- ThermoPro TP49. The ThermoPro TP49 digital thermometer/hygrometer is an extremely simple device that indicates how you need to control your humidifier via emojis. The temperature/humidity reads with an accuracy of ±1 Fahrenheit/Celsius and ±2-3%. It is ideal for places where the weather fluctuates a lot. Also, the ten-second refresh rate is excellent for comparison with other devices.
- AcuRite Digital Thermometer. The AcuRite Digital Thermometer is a compact device with an easy-to-read display. The high and low arrows indicate the fluctuation in temperature. Since it displays both the outdoor and indoor temperature simultaneously, it is beneficial for determining if the thermostat is working correctly or not.
- SwitchBot Smart Hygrometer Thermometer. This wireless Bluetooth thermometer refreshes every 4 seconds, giving the most accurate results. You can also compare data from the last 36 days using their app. You can create your scenes with the app to set the humidifier and AC to your desired levels.
Key Takeaways
A Nest thermostat is an extremely useful device that can simplify your life.
However, you must ensure that it is working correctly by placing it in the right area and helping it adjust to your routine.
Although things like climate and humidity can influence your Nest to give wrong readings, these devices are mostly accurate.
To determine if your Nest is showing the correct temperature or not, you should compare it with other thermometers.