How do I know if my heating and cooling system works with Nest?
Nest works with over 95% of 24V heating and cooling systems, including gas, electric, oil, solar, hot water, geothermal, forced air, heat pump and radiant.
The 2nd generation Nest Learning Thermostat can control the following types of HVAC systems:
- Heating: one, two and three stages (W1, W2, W3)
- Cooling: one and two stages (Y1, Y2)
- Heat pump: with auxiliary and emergency heat (O/B, AUX, E)
- Fan (G)
- Power (C, Rh, Rc)
- Humidifier or dehumidifier (HUM, DEHUM)
- Nest’s connector can accept only one of these wires: W3, E, HUM or DEHUM.
Adding a common C wire is not required in 99% of installations.
\Important Note: Professional installation is recommended for:
- Dual fuel systems (heat pump with furnace)
- Whole-home humidifiers and dehumidifiers
Not everyone knows what kind of heating and cooling system they have. Fortunately, there is an easy way to find out. All you need to do is remove the cover of your current thermostat and take a look at the wires that are connected.
There should be a label for each connector that has a wire. Write down each label or take a picture if your wires and use our Compatibility Check tool. There you’ll be prompted to enter the labels and we’ll tell you if your system will work with Nest.
If your thermostat has a short “jumper” wire between two connectors, don’t include that wire; only enter the labels for wires coming from inside your wall that are attached to the thermostat.