How to Set Up Your 3rd Gen Google Nest Learning Thermostat

Q: Can Reliance install and set up my Google Nest thermostat?

Yes. Reliance Home Comfort technicians, including Nest Pro Elite technicians trained specifically on Nest installation and setup, can install and configure your thermostat for you. Contact Reliance to book an appointment.

“

To set up a 3rd Gen Nest Learning Thermostat: power on the thermostat (or restore it to factory settings), then follow the on-screen prompts to (1) choose your language, (2) connect to Wi-Fi, (3) set your location, building type, thermostat location and heating and cooling system type, and (4) run a systems test. You control the Nest by rotating the outer ring to scroll and tapping the bottom of the screen to select. The full walkthrough is in the video below.

Hello! I’m Shane with Reliance.

While many customers typically book in-home installation and setup with

an expert Reliance technician like me, we realize that that’s not always possible. So,

I’m here to take you step by step through the setup and operation of your new thermostat.

The new Google Nest 3rd Generation Learning Thermostat is a connected thermostat.

It gets its name from the way it learns the living patterns in your household, then automatically

optimizes your home’s heating and cooling, which can improve the efficiency of your HVAC equipment.

Want to control the temperature in your home with your phone? The Google Nest Learning Thermostat

can do that! Plus, you can monitor your energy usage over time, and more.

Alright, let’s get started!

The Basics

If your Nest is new or it’s just been restored to factory settings,

the thermostat’s illuminated screen will prompt you to input your setup information.

Alternatively, if your Nest has already been set up, you can skip ahead in this video

where you will find steps to walk you through the thermostat’s numerous features and functionality.

Let’s get you familiarized with the Nest device itself.

This easy-to-use thermostat is controlled using two different

motions that you make with your hands: By rotating the outer ring, you can

wake up the display, scroll through the Nest’s various menu options, and increase or decrease

the desired temperature of your home. Alternatively, tap or click the bottom

of the screen—almost like you’re using an Enter command on a computer—to access the main menu,

choose menu items, and select letters and numbers. Here’s a handy trick: You can toggle between

capital and lower-case letters by double-tapping your chosen letter.

Connect to WiFi

To begin the setup, rotate the Nest’s outer ring to the Language option,

and choose either English or French by tapping the bottom of the screen.

At this point, be sure to have your Wi-Fi password handy, as the next step involves

connecting your Nest to the internet. Rotate the outer dial to the Internet option, press,

and enter your details when prompted. Just so you know, you don’t necessarily need an

active internet connection to operate your new thermostat. However, we do recommend that you do

so, in order to take full advantage of the Nest’s many smart features, including displaying local

weather conditions on the screen and controlling the thermostat from your phone while you’re away.

Plus, when you connect your Nest to Wi-Fi, it can download the latest

software updates automatically, which will keep it running in tip-top shape over time.

If you’d like to make use of Nest’s remote-control capabilities and other useful functionality,

now’s the time to download the free Google Home app to your smartphone.

Location & Test

Ok, let’s continue with the setup.

Next on the menu, the system will ask for your Location so it knows about the weather outside,

the type of building you’re in; single family, multi-family, apt/condo or business,

where the thermostat is located in your home,

and a few things about what kind of heating and cooling system you have.

Once complete, tap or click the bottom of the display to go back to setup.

Finally, rotate the outer ring to choose the Complete a Systems Test option. And with that,

you’ve completed the setup of your new Google Nest 3rd Generation Learning Thermostat.

HEAT SET TO & ECO

Now, let’s move on to the features and functionality that make this

such a popular thermostat for homeowners around the world.

Let’s look at the module itself: You’ll see the current temperature

of your room displayed in a small number along one side of the thermostat display,

while the target temperature—also called the “setpoint” or “HEAT

SET TO temperature”—will be displayed in large numbers in the centre of the screen.

If the HEAT SET TO temperature is above the

current room temperature and your furnace or boiler is turned on,

then the screen will appear orange and it will trigger the delivery of heat to your home.

Alternatively, if your air conditioner is turned on and you rotate the Nest’s

outer ring counter-clockwise so that the setpoint drops below the current temperature,

the illuminated screen will go blue to indicate

that it’s in cooling mode. On the other hand, if you don’t have an air conditioner,

the screen background will remain dark when the setpoint drops below the current temperature.

On this same display, a Nest leaf icon will appear if you’ve

programmed the thermostat to alert you about energy-saving performance of your system.

How to Navigate

To navigate through the various settings, rotate the outer ring, which will bring different menu

options to the top. Tap or click the bottom of the display to enter the Main Menu, and you’ll see

Time, Date, Weather, Humidity and Temperature Levels displayed in the centre with a checkmark

icon at the top of the screen and other icons around the perimeter.

Rotate the outer ring to bring different menu settings to the top and become clickable.

Navigate to the THERMOSTAT setting to select HEAT,

COOL, ECO or OFF settings, tapping or clicking the bottom of the display for your preferred

selection. You can now return to the main setting menu by tapping or clicking again.

Then, rotate to the clock icon to see your household’s energy usage patterns over time.

Note that your thermostat’s Energy History is a detailed summary that covers the last

10 days. You can view it in your thermostat or with the Nest app on a phone, tablet, or computer.

How to Schedule

Next, to access one of the Nest’s most useful features, rotate the outer ring

to the SCHEDULE menu and tap or click the bottom of the display to configure your Nest

for scheduled temperature settings at any time of day throughout the week.

Scroll to a date and time using the outer ring, tap to choose NEW,

tap again, then scroll up or down to determine the desired temperature setting for that time.

Tap once more to choose that setting, then scroll to other dates and times to set more.

With the next icon, the gear-shaped SETTING option located at the top of the display,

tap and you’ll find LOCK or DO NOT LOCK options.

Choose the LOCK option to prevent other people in your household from adjusting your Nest settings.

ECO

The next main item in the SETTINGS menu—called ECO—allows your home’s

temperatures to rise or fall naturally within a pre-set margin from your target temperature,

which can help to reduce your energy consumption levels while you’re away from home.

To set your ECO TEMPERATURE threshold, rotate the outer ring,

tap to select your preferred temperature threshold, then tap or click DONE.

Next, rotate the outer ring again to go to HOME/AWAY ASSIST,

which allows you to activate or deactivate ECO mode.

NEST SENSE options

Now, rotate the outer ring to the NEST SENSE option, where you can access

several smart functions: When you activate AUTO-SCHEDULING,

your Nest will learn the manual temperature settings you’ve used in the past and create an

automatic temperature schedule for your home. The TIME-TO-TEMPERATURE function provides

an estimate of the amount of time it will take for a change in temperature

to be reached after you’ve dialled it in. Activate the SUNBLOCK feature to prevent your Nest

from being thrown off by sunshine hitting it during certain times of the day.

Brightness

Next, we move to the display’s BRIGHTNESS control: Choose Low,

Medium, High or Auto by rotating the outer ring until you’ve got your preferred setting,

then tap or click the bottom of the display to select.

Display Options

The DISPLAY setting comes next. This is where you’re able to customize the

use and appearance of your Nest display. You can choose to activate or deactivate

the FARSIGHT option, which wakes up and displays information on the main screen when anyone gets

close to or touches the thermostat. If you don’t want the thermostat to wake up automatically,

simply deactivate this option. Rotate the outer ring more to choose

from TARGET TEMPERATURE, CURRENT TEMPERATURE, ANALOG CLOCK or DIGITAL CLOCK options.

Next, adjust the WEATHER setting to have information about local weather

conditions appear on the main screen. But remember that you’ll need to have

set up your Wi-Fi connection to be able to display weather on your Nest device.

Click Sound On/Off

Move to the next SETTING icon to turn your Nest Thermostat’s CLICK sound ON or OFF.

Celsius/Fahrenheit

Next, rotate the outer ring along the SETTING menu to choose the format of the temperature

display—whether Fahrenheit or Celsius. As you scroll further, you’ll see additional features,

including your heating and cooling system details, factory RESET, and NEST PRO menu

item which is only accessible to professional installers like our Reliance technicians,

as well as the TECHNICAL INFO item which displays various features of your Nest system.

And with that, you’ve completed the setup and orientation of your new Google Nest

3rd Generation Learning Thermostat!

Don’t forget, If you have any questions about configuring or using your connected thermostat,

just Call on Reliance™.

Many customers book in-home installation and setup with an expert Reliance® technician, but we know that is not always possible. The video below walks you through setup and operation of your new Nest 3rd Gen Learning Thermostat step by step. It is a connected thermostat that learns your household’s living patterns and automatically optimises your home’s heating and cooling, which can improve the efficiency of your HVAC equipment. You can also control the temperature from your phone and monitor your energy use over time.

How the Nest is controlled

Rotate the outer ring to wake the display, scroll through menu options, and raise or lower your target temperature.
Tap or click the bottom of the screen (like pressing Enter) to open the main menu, choose menu items, and select letters and numbers.
Double-tap a letter to toggle between capital and lower-case letters when entering text such as your Wi-Fi password.

Step-by-step setup

Start setup. When the Nest is new or freshly restored to factory settings, the screen prompts you to enter your setup information. If it is already set up, skip ahead to the features section.
Choose your language. Rotate the outer ring to the Language option and tap the bottom of the screen to select English or French.
Connect to Wi-Fi. Have your Wi-Fi password ready. Rotate the ring to the Internet option, press, and enter your details. Wi-Fi is not required to operate the thermostat, but it is recommended so you can use smart features such as local weather on the display, phone control while away, and automatic software updates.
Download the Google Home app (optional). To use remote control and other connected features, download the free Google Home app to your smartphone.
Set your location and system details. The Nest asks for your location (so it knows local weather), your building type (single family, multi-family, apartment or condo, or business), where the thermostat is located in your home, and details about your heating and cooling system. Tap the bottom of the display to return to setup when done.
Run a systems test. Rotate the outer ring to the Complete a Systems Test option to confirm everything is working. That completes setup.

Key features at a glance

Feature	What it does
Schedule	Set target temperatures for specific days and times throughout the week.
Eco	Lets temperatures drift within a preset margin from your target while you are away to help reduce energy use.
Auto-Schedule	Learns your manual settings over time and builds an automatic temperature schedule.
Home/Away Assist	Turns Eco mode on or off based on whether anyone is home.
True Radiant	Anticipates how long a target temperature takes to reach and starts your system early so scheduled times are met.
Sunblock	Prevents direct sunlight on the thermostat from throwing off temperature readings.
Energy History	Shows your energy usage over the last 10 days on the thermostat or in the app.
Lock	Prevents others in the household from changing your settings.

Screen colours give you a quick status check: the display turns orange when your furnace or boiler is delivering heat, and blue when your air conditioner is cooling. A Nest leaf icon appears when you are running at an energy-saving temperature.

Still have questions or want an in-home consultation? Just Call on Reliance™ and we will be happy to help.

Google and Nest Learning Thermostat are trademarks of Google LLC.

Video chapters

0:00 Intro
0:47 The basics
1:38 Connect to Wi-Fi
2:32 Location and systems test
3:04 Heat Set To and Eco
4:03 How to navigate
4:56 How to schedule
5:36 Eco mode
6:05 Nest Sense options
6:34 Brightness
6:47 Display options
7:27 Click sound on or off
7:33 Celsius or Fahrenheit

Visit our Smart Home page to learn more about connecting the rest of your home.

Have questions about your smart home products? Visit our Smart Home FAQ’s page.

Visit our Furnace Resource and Air Conditioning Resource pages to learn more about your heating and cooling systems.

*Google and Nest Thermostat are trademarks of Google LLC

3rd Gen Nest Thermostat FAQs

Do I need Wi-Fi to use the Nest thermostat?

No. The Nest works as a thermostat without an internet connection, but Wi-Fi is recommended so you can use smart features such as phone control, local weather on the display, and automatic software updates.

How do I control the Nest thermostat?

Rotate the outer ring to wake the display, scroll through menus, and change the temperature. Tap the bottom of the screen to open the main menu and make selections.

What does the orange or blue screen on my Nest mean?

The screen turns orange when your furnace or boiler is actively heating your home and blue when your air conditioner is cooling. If you do not have air conditioning, the background stays dark when the set point drops below the current temperature.

What is Eco mode on the Nest thermostat?

Eco mode lets your home’s temperature rise or fall within a preset margin from your target while you are away, which can help reduce energy consumption. You can turn it on or off automatically using Home/Away Assist.

How do I set a schedule on the Nest thermostat?

Rotate the outer ring to the Schedule menu and tap the bottom of the display. Scroll to a day and time, choose New, then scroll to set your desired temperature. Repeat for other times and days.

Can Reliance install and set up my Nest thermostat?

Yes. Reliance Home Comfort® technicians are trained specifically on Nest installation and setup, can install and configure your thermostat for you. Call on Reliance to book an appointment.

Back to Learning Centre

What Is a Red Tag in Ontario? Gas Safety Rules Explained