Google acquired Nest Labs back in 2014, which helped boost this innovative company and its products. Today we will have a closer look at the Google Nest Learning Thermostat 3rd Generation in detail. We will cover all the aspects of this smart thermostat; its features, installation, and more. We will also answer frequently asked questions related to Google Nest Learning Thermostat 3rd Generation at the end of the article.
All this information will help you decide whether or not the Google Nest Learning Thermostat 3 is something that your home needs and how you can benefit from installing one. After reading this article, you’ll be a semi Google Nest Learning Thermostat 3rd Generation expert and will know all the ins and outs, pros and cons of this amazing piece of electronics that can make your life easier and help you save money and the environment by conserving energy.
Is Nest 3rd Generation Worth Your Money
This is a relative question and you must definitely consider your budget, however, if you can afford it, it will absolutely amaze you. It is the smartest way to control your home’s temperature and achieve fully automated temperature adjustment according to your movement, location, schedule, all learned by the thermostat in the first week of purchase.
If you prefer a classic thermostat, that may be too much for you. However, if you have used older Nest generation models, you are going to love the Nest 3.
Nest Learning Thermostat 3rd Generation can be yours for just under $200. Moreover, depending on your location, you get additional discounts/rebates offered by local utilities, which is definitely something you want to look into for your region.
Let’s dig deeper and learn more about the device, which will help you determine, whether you feel it is worth your money.
Design Of Google Nest Learning Thermostat
The Google Nest Learning Thermostat 3 is 1.2 inches thick and measures 3.3 inches in diameter, which makes it slightly thinner and larger than the original model (1.3 by 3.2 inches). The Nest Learning Thermostat 3 still maintains the same sleek puck-shaped design that looks great in any environment.
The 3rd generation of this smart thermostat outer rim is black, however, it is available in a black, white, stainless steel, or copper finish (outer ring), to provide customers with an even broader choice. The thermostat packs a larger display than the old model (2.1 inches vs. 1.8) with a higher resolution (480 by 480 vs. 320 by 320). To enter information, it still uses its outer ring; by pressing the edge of the ring you get to launch the onboard menu screens. Then you can turn the ring left or right to find an item of interest, and press it again to select the item. It takes some getting used to, however, it is highly intuitive.
Google Nest Thermostat 3 also comes with a dial method, which makes entering passwords and other settings easy. The thermostat offers a nice ambient light that is a nice designers’ touch.
Nest 3rd Generation Features
The Nest 3rd Gen. comes with many advanced and rather impressive features, which we will cover in this section.
The thermostat packs ten temperature sensors, which is seven more than the original Nest. It also has a humidity sensor and activity sensors. A Farsight feature, which wakes up the display when you enter a room is something completely new to this model and makes things a lot simpler as compared to an older model, where you had to be right in front of the device.
This thermostat is so smart it learns from you, as such, there is basically nothing to figure out. It features a super-simple installation that takes a complete newbie on average about 30 min to complete the installation.
The smart thermostat is also equipped with 802.11b/g/n (2.4GHz) and 802.11a/n (5GHz) Wi-Fi circuitry, a Bluetooth radio, and 512MB of internal memory. It is compatible with most 24V heating and cooling systems and it supports three-stage heating, two-stage cooling, three-speed fans, and also humidifier and dehumidifier add-ons. We will cover all the thermostat’s specs in a separate section.
1. Saving Energy Starts With Your Thermostat
Did you know that we spend the most money out of all utility bills on heating/cooling? Yes, your thermostat controls half your energy bill, way more than appliances and electronics. As such, it makes sense to give some extra thought to what type of thermostat you want to use.
Independent studies have shown that the Nest Learning Thermostat helps save an average of 15% on cooling and 11% on heating bills. Taking that into consideration, you will cover the expense of purchase in less than two years.
Saving money is great, however, it is even more important to save energy, especially considering that we are in times of great enhanced global warming issue, when we must all do the very best we can. Thus you will be saving money and the environment with the Nest Learning thermostat at the same time.
2. Remote Control And Smart Home Integration With Alexa And Google Assistant
As you probably know, Google is the king when it comes to smart homes and it also owns Android, which makes them most qualified to provide you with smart control.
The thermostat doesn’t come with its own remote control, rather you can use your smartphone to install and app that will let you take full control over the thermostat, whenever, wherever, as long as your phone has the internet connection. You may, of course, also use your tablet or computer to remotely control your thermostat.
Once connected to your phone, it makes many adjustments to its own just based on your location. It will create its own auto-schedule, basically, most of the adjusting is done on autopilot, so you don’t need to occupy your busy mind with the thermostat.
It also comes with a full Alexa and Google Assistance, which means you can control it with your voice, which is pretty awesome once you get used to it.
3. Home Report Shows How Much Energy You’ve Saved And Helps You Use Even Less
Nest comes with Energy History, which shows you exactly how much energy you’ve spent and saved via Home Reports. That way you have a maximum insight into your energy consumption and it also provides you with tips on how to save more on days when your energy consumption is higher.
4. Auto-switch On When You Walk Into The Room With Farsight
Farsight is a completely new function to the Nest Learning Thermostat 3rd Generation. It enables it to detect your presence in the room and light up to show you the temperature, weather, or time. In its settings you get to choose between a digital or analog clock display, to further match your style and needs.
5. Safety Alerts
A proper thermostat is just one component of your heating and cooling system, however, the Google Nest Learning Thermostat 3 keeps an eye on all the components and helps you ensure that all is in order. That way you know your home is safe.
You will receive alert for any potentially dangerous deviation from normal conditions, which will enable you to act accordingly and ensure any necessary actions are taking promptly to prevent any damage to your home. You get alerts are your AC breaks, or if the furnace can’t keep up, or if your furnace is acting up, it even reminds you to check the filters on your forced-air system, which get clogged over time.
6. Additional Features
- Airwave – this function lets your AC takes a break and the fan to take over. It spreads the cool air already in your system through your home. That way you save a ton of energy.
- Sunblock – this feature enables the Nest 3 to notices when it is heating up in direct sunlight and automatically adjust itself so it still reads and sets the right temperature.
- Cool to Dry – Humid air is rather good for people, however, your home would actually prefer a slightly drier atmosphere. With Cool to Dry, the AC kicks in to make the air a little less humid when you’re away, which ensures that your home stays healthy and beautiful.
- Early On – this is great for homes with a radiant system. The True Radiant keeps the heat steady, without overshooting the temperature.
- Heat Pump Balance – for homes with heat pumps, Nest makes sure it keeps up with the cold. If the pump struggles to keep up, it will give it a boost with AUX heat to keep you cozy and warm.
- Weather Tracking – Nest 3 tracks the weather so it can automatically apply the adjustments to help you stay comfortable or to save energy.
- High Compatibility – The Google Nest Learning Thermostat works with approx. 95% of 24V heating and cooling systems, including gas, electric, forced air, heat pump, radiant, oil, hot water, solar and geothermal, which means you have a great chance of being able to use it in your home.
- Fully Compatible with Other Nest Products – Nest 3 supports other Nest products such as the Nest Cam, Nest Protect, and others.
- Large Display – 40% larger display than previous generations.
- Tough and Beautiful – Solid steel outer ring available in 4 different colors.
- Full Temperature Sensing – it packs ten temperature sensors to track the temperature in your home and make quickly it changes.
- Ambient Light Sensors – this enables the thermostat to adjust how the screen lights up.
- 150° wide-angle view – the activity sensors learn when to switch to Auto‑
- Full Pack of Sensors: Temperature, humidity, near-field activity, far-field activity, ambient light
- Seamless Installation – Designed to offer streamlined installation with push cable connectors and a built-in bubble leveler for wall mounting
Google Nest Learning Thermostat 3rd Generation Specification
- Brand: Google
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 8.4 x 8.4 x 3.1cm / 3.3” x 3.3” x 1.2”
- Weight: 8.6 oz (243.7 g)
- Display: 24-bit color LCD, 2.1″ (480 x 480) LCD Display
- Connectivity: Built-In 802.11b/g/n and 802.11a/n (5GHz) Wi-Fi; Bluetooth Low Energy
- High-res color display: 2.1” 480 x 480 pixels
- Sensors: Temperature, Humidity, Proximity, Motion, Ambient light, Magnetic (for thermostat ring position)
- Memory: 512MB
- Battery: Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
- Power consumption: Less than 1 kWh/month
- Voltage requirement: 20-30V AC
- Bandwidth: approx. 50MB/week upload and 50MB/week download
- Operating: Temperature: 32° to 104°F (0° to 40°C); Humidity: Up to 90% RH unpackaged; Pressure: Up to 10,000 ft altitude
- Green: Contains no hazardous substances, RoHS compliant, REACH compliant, Energy Star, CEC Title 20, CEC Title 24 Residential, CEC Title 24 Non-residential, Recyclable packaging
- Multiple Zones: Yes
- 1 – 2 Stage Cooling: Both
- 1 – 3 Stage Heating: All
- Forced Air: Yes
- Compatibility with 24V heating and cooling: Works with most 24V heating and cooling systems.
- Radiant: Yes
- Heat Pump: Yes
- Oil: Yes
- Gas: Yes
- Electric: Yes
- Hybrid Systems: Yes
- Humidistat: Yes
- Control from anywhere with the Nest app: Yes
- Proven energy-saving features: Yes
- Turns itself down after you leave: Yes
- Set up a simple schedule: Yes
Nest Thermostat Installation
As with the original and previous-generation models, the Nest 3rd Gen thermostat is very simple to install. It comes with everything you need to successfully set in place and begin its operation, including a screwdriver and mounting screws, installation and welcome guides, and a mounting base.
It is advisable to take a photo of the wiring before removing your old thermostat. Also, use the included tags to label them. This step helps a lot. Then screw the base onto the wall using the built-in level to ensure that it is straight. Then connect the red and green wires to the Rh and Rc (power) terminals, the white wire to the W1 (heat) terminal, and the blue wire to the C (common) terminal.
Next, snap the thermostat onto the base and it should fire up right away. Following the on-screen instructions, you need to select the type of dwelling (single or multi-family, condo, business) and heating system (electric, oil, propane, geothermal, etc.). Next, you need to configure the Wi-Fi settings and connected them to the Internet. Following is recommended to perform a quick test to see if the heating kicked in. Hopefully, it will. Then let the thermostat do its thing for a week as it learns your routine and creates its own schedule.
If all is set up properly, the Nest performs amazingly well. It responds instantly whenever you raise or lower the heat both manually and with your iPhone / Android phone. The Auto-Schedule feature does a great job of creating a schedule that follows your household’s daily routine, and the thermostat follows that schedule to a point. It should also respond to your Alexa voice commands to raise and lower the heat, and the Farsight feature and large display make it easy to check the thermostat from across a large room. The Home/Away Assist feature will prevent the thermostat from entering ECO mode while you are in another part of the house, and it will always be switched from Home to Away and back as you leave and return home.
NOTE: If you feel overwhelmed by trying to install it yourself, you can always hire a professional or ask a friend with some technical skills. Following the instruction, you should be done with the installation in about 30 minutes or so.
Google Nest Learning Thermostat 3rd Generation
As you can see there are many benefits to Google Nest Learning Thermostat 3rd Generation. It packs plenty of features and has been proven to noticeably decrease your energy consumption and your energy (heating/cooling) expenses, which is great for your wallet and the environment.
Herein we will point out Nest 3’s main pros and cons. As you can expect, there are quite a few pros and very few cons.
Pros of Google Nest Thermostat
- Sleek design – the Google Nest Learning Thermostat 3rd Generation really looks great on any wall in any room. It offers 4 colors of the outer ring to choose from and it has a large display, which is visible from across the room.
- Easy to install – the installation process is really straightforward. With the use of clear instructions, even complete newbies can complete the installation in 30 minutes.
- Loaded with features – the Google Nest Learning Thermostat 3rd Generation offers a wide range of advanced features and offers you full control. However, it also enables you a complete hands-off operation as it learns your schedule and detects whether you are at home or not, and makes the necessary adjustments to your home atmosphere.
- Interacts with other Nest and third-party devices –complete and seamless compatibility with other Nest and third-party devices is amazing. It enables you to incorporate all the functionality you want to have in your home.
- Support for Alexa, Google Home, and IFTTT – voice control takes some time to get used to, however, once you do it sure makes your life a whole lot simpler and helps you get things done super-fast.
Cons of Google Nest Thermostat
- Lacks remote room sensors – this feature could make it even more powerful since it would enable the thermostat to control other room’s (then the one where the base is located) temperature based on the occupancy and temperature levels of the room.
- Pricey – compared to other thermostats it is a bit pricey, however, it does pay itself off in the first two years.
FAQ – Frequently Ask Questions
Where to buy Nest Learning Thermostat 3rd Generation?
You can buy it at most stores with electronics, it is even available at Walmart. There are also many online stores, where you can look at, including Amazon. Also makes sure to check your local utility offers. In some areas, you may be offered a great deal if you decide to get Nest Learning Thermostat.
How does the nest learning 3rd generation thermostat get power?
It has a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which can, in most cases, be charged using your system’s heating and cooling wires. However, a C wire can be used to charge it as well. You can install it or remove the Nest 3’s display and plug it into USB for charging.
What is the difference between nest 2nd and 3rd generation?
Nest 3rd generation is the latest thermostat that has all the smarts of its predecessors. Besides, it packs some new features.
Nest 3rd additions (Nest 3rd Gen vs 2nd):
- larger display (2.1 inches vs. 1.8),
- slightly slimmer (1.2 inches vs. 1.3),
- slightly larger diameter (3.3 inches vs. 3.2),
- higher display resolution (480 by 480 vs. 320 by 320)
- geofencing support,
- a furnace monitor,
- Farsight (detects your presence in the room),
- and a few more sensors.
Can I install Nest myself?
Yes, Nest comes with everything one needs to install it. It has been reported that even complete newbies do it within 30 minutes.
Should I upgrade to Nest 3?
If you are satisfied with your previous Nest model, then there is no need for improvement. However, if you feel like you could benefit from Nest 3’s new features and can afford it, then go for it.
Is there a monthly fee for the Nest thermostat?
No, there is no monthly fee for the Nest Learning Thermostat.
Does Nest 3rd generation need C wire?
Yes, it is meant to charge using a C wire. However, you can charge it by taking the display off, or you can connect the wires in a way for the HVAC system wiring to charge it.
Does Nest thermostat work if the power goes out?
Yes. It has a built-in battery that will last for some time during power outages.
How long does the Nest thermostat battery last?
The battery can run for 1 to 2 hours, which is way more than any average outages last. You can use battery banks and charge it by taking off the display.
Does Nest really save money?
Yes. Statistics have proven that it saves on average 15% on cooling and 11% on heating bills.
Does Nest thermostat work without WiFi?
Yes, but you obviously won’t be able to use its full functionality.
Does Google Nest thermostat have a camera?
No, there is no camera in Nest Thermostat. It does have motion and ambient light sensors.
Closing Thoughts
We did our best to provide you with all the details regarding the Google Nest Learning Thermostat 3rd Generation. The information gathered above should be more than enough to help you determine whether the Nest 3 is the right choice for you and your home. Moreover, the FAQ section should have answered most of your questions.
We can all agree that Google Nest Learning Thermostat 3rd Generation isn’t the most affordable piece of electronics, however, considering its ability to help you save money and energy, thus help the environment, it definitely is an option that every household should consider when looking at installing new HVAC thermostat or upgrading the existing one.
