Set Safety Temperatures to prevent extreme high and low temperatures in your home. If the current target temperature goes beyond the Safety Temperatures you’ve set, Nest will automatically start heating or cooling.

You can set both a high and a low Safety Temperature. The low Safety Temperature is the temperature below which Nest will automatically start heating. The high Safety Temperature is the temperature above which Nest will automatically start cooling.

You can set or change Safety Temperatures in SETTINGS > EQUIPMENT. If you decide not to set your own Safety Temperatures, Nest’s default low Safety Temperature is 45ºF/7ºC to prevent the home from freezing. Nest doesn’t have a default high Safety Temperature. Note that Nest will never cool when the temperature is below 45ºF/7ºC or heat when the temperature is above 95ºF/35ºC. These limits cannot be changed.

Safety Temperatures are different from the Away temperatures you’ll choose during Nest’s setup. Away temperatures are the temperatures that Nest will maintain when it’s in Away mode. Choose Away temperatures that save energy and are appropriate for your home.

Safety Temperatures can help protect a second home. A Safety Temperature of 45ºF/7ºC (Nest’s default) will prevent the pipes from freezing while the home is unoccupied, even if the thermostat was left in cooling mode or doesn’t have a heating schedule. You won’t have to worry if you’ve set the thermostat correctly before you leave (though if you do, you can always check on your home’s temperature over Wi-Fi with your Nest Account).

Safety Temperatures won’t be enforced when the thermostat is in OFF mode (OFF mode must be set manually by the user).