Why Does My Nest Thermostat Keep Changing Temperature? [EXPLAINED]

The temperature of your thermostat dictates how physically comfortable you feel inside of your home.

You program your smart thermostat in a way that will keep you cozy day and night. Thinking about having your temperature perfect all the time may have you wondering how many Alexa devices you can have on one account.

Or, at least, you think that is what you have done. Yet you walk into your house after a long day at work to find that the 72 degrees you had set the thermostat at has dropped to 68 degrees. How did that happen?!

Let’s keep it real here – smart thermostats have a learning curve that can make you feel, well, less than smart. (I should know!) They aren’t always as obvious as they should be. 

You might feel like you have no control over your device and that it just has a mind of its own.

But there is a way to deal with it, and it all has to do with how the device is programmed to collect information and utilize that info to adjust the temperature settings in a way that the device believes will make you comfortable.

Read on to learn more about why the Nest thermostat keeps experiencing temperature changes and how you can make your Nest Thermostat hold temperature the way you want it to.

There is one function on the Google Nest in particular that can cause this to happen, and it has been confusing buyers for years now.

Luckily, the troubleshooting you will have to do for this issue is pretty simple. 

It involves making tweaks to Nest Learning, which is an auto-schedule feature that does a lot of the legwork for you. 

Yet, as you now know all too well, it does not always get things quite right.

This is something that you are required to do during setup, but you can go into the system and make adjustments after the fact.

Why does auto-schedule automatically change the Google Nest thermostat’s temperature settings? 

How can you change the auto-schedule settings? 

Can you disable the learning feature on your Nest thermostat?

What if there is something wrong with the temperature sensor?

Why does Nest Thermostat’s temperature keep changing?

The Google Nest Thermostat changes for a few reasons. 

While the most common reason is that auto-schedule is on, a few other features can do this too. Home/Away, Early-On, and Eco Mode are also potential culprits.  Just as the Nest camera sometimes keeps buffering, the thermostat has some technical issues too.

Let’s explore why each one might be the issue.

Auto-Schedule

Auto-schedule is something you essentially program during the initial set-up. You are asked to set parameters for preferred high and low temperatures. 

The system gathers data collected from all of your daily goings-on and sets the temperature based on this. 

This is what makes it a learning thermostat, as it discovers your likes and behaviors and adjusts according to the info it gathers about them. 

That leads it to construct a schedule for your home’s heating and cooling.

Home/Away Feature

Home/Away is a feature that helps the thermostat know when you are at home. 

It adjusts the temperature once it detects you have left and returned again.

Eco Mode

Eco Mode is your thermostat’s mode it will kick over to when the system senses that nobody is at home. 

It does this based on your smartphone’s GPS location. 

You do have the option of manually turning on Eco Mode, but when you do this, your Nest Thermostat is essentially off until the temp in your home falls below or elevates above the system’s set temperatures. 

When this does happen, the thermostat will automatically kick into gear to get your home to the desired temperature.

If the default Eco Mode settings are not ones that suit you, simply change the temperature range from the thermostat or on the Nest app.

Early-On Feature

Early-On will turn your air conditioning or heat on before the scheduled time that has been set, which allows for the thermostat to get your home to the preferred temperature before the time that was scheduled.

This feature can be disabled if you prefer sticking to the set schedule.

How can I stop Nest Thermostat from changing temperature?

You can use your phone and go into the Nest app to disable Auto-Schedule. 

Open up the Google Nest app, then locate your thermostat’s name. 

Get into its settings and switch Auto-Schedule to OFF. 

This forces the system to follow the schedule that you set, not the one it tries to set for you.

The schedule created for you by Google Nest will still be there if you ever want to turn it back on. 

However, disabling this feature just prevents the system from trying to learn more about you and your habits. 

If you don’t create a schedule after you delete the one it set for you, your thermostat will just stay at the temperature you set until you manually adjust it, just like your traditional home thermostat would.

How do I turn off Auto-Schedule?

Here’s how to turn off Auto-Schedule:

1. Open the Google Nest app from your cellphone or tablet.
2. Select your Nest Thermostat by clicking on its name.
3. Click on Settings. 
4. Tap on the Auto-Schedule slider to toggle that function off.

Also, take note that you can turn Auto-Schedule off right from your thermostat. 

1. Select Settings.
2. Click on Nest Sense. 
3. Click on Auto-Schedule. 
4. Click ‘Off’. 

How do I clear the schedule?

You can delete the schedule, create a new one, or simply adjust the current one. All three options are easy enough to do.

To delete the schedule: 

1. Go to your thermostat, then click on Settings. 
2. Click on Reset. 
3. Click on Schedule. 
4. Choose either ‘Clear’ or ‘Reset’.

To create a new schedule: 

1. Open up the Nest app. 
2. Choose your thermostat. 
3. Select Schedule. 
4. Make your new temperature set points. 

To adjust the schedule: 

1. Open up the Nest app. 
2. Choose your thermostat. 
3. Select Schedule. 
4. Adjust the temperature set points as you wish.

Using the Nest Thermostat Sensor

The Google Nest Thermostat Sensor is a small wireless device that you can place in any room throughout your home. 

It connects to your thermostat and allows it to control the temperature for that specific room. 

With this device being placed in a separate room, this could explain temperature differences from room to room. 

And, should the sensor ever become faulty, this could explain temperature differences for that one room when there shouldn’t be any.

Closing Thoughts

The Google Nest Learning Thermostat is a smart thermostat. 

It spends its time learning your habits and preferences and strives to adjust your home’s HVAC accordingly. 

Does it always get it right? No, but it usually comes pretty close. 

Disabling the features that allow for automated temperature change can keep a more consistent temperature, but then that also tends to defeat the purpose of having the Nest Thermostat to begin with. 

Tinker with the settings a bit to see if it helps.

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