topic Re: 3-Point Temp Differential on Schedules? in Nest Thermostats

3-Point Temp Differential on Schedules?

femcrae3 — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 20:43:56 GMT

Just bought and installed two 4th-gen Nest thermostats. For context, I like to keep my house 70 during the winter and 72 during the summer.

So when I went to program them, I started with the "Comfort" setting, and set the "orange" number to 70 ... but then when I tried to set the "blue" number to 72, it bumped the orange number down to 69 (which would be too cold). It's this way across the board, with all settings - there has to be at least a 3-point difference between your desired heat and cooling temps.

At first I thought I must have it in the "auto" Heat/Cool mode, where enforcing a gap would make boatloads of sense. But it's not - apparently it does this for all scheduled settings, whether it's in Heat, Cool, or Heat/Cool mode. Is there a way around this, or is it just a programming glitch?

The end result is that you'll have to reprogram all temps in all modes 2x a year when you transition from heating to cooling, unless I'm missing something? Does anybody know a workaround?

Re: 3-Point Temp Differential on Schedules?

tajennifer — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 00:36:21 GMT

Hi femcrae3,

Thanks for posting. I'm sorry to hear about the situation that you are experiencing with your Nest Learning Thermostats (4th Generation), which forces a minimum 3-degree gap between the heating and cooling set-points in your schedule, even when the system is set to Heat-only or Cool-only mode. I appreciate the information provided and the steps that you already tried. Don't worry; help is here. I need to ask for some information to provide the best assistance:

When were the Nest Thermostats installed, and who installed them?
What type of HVAC system do you have (Conventional or Heat Pump)?
When was the last maintenance check for your HVAC system?
Is the Smart Schedule feature currently enabled?
Do both Nest Thermostats have a C-wire (common ground wire) connected?
Are you seeing any error messages on the Google Home app or on the thermostats themselves? If so, what do they say exactly?
Please provide pictures of the wiring configuration connected to both Nest Thermostat bases.
Please provide screenshots of the Temperature preferences setting for both thermostats in the Google Home app. You can use the next steps:

On the home screen, select the thermostat the customer wants to manage.
Tap Settings > go to the Device settings.
Under Device Features, tap Temperature preferences.

Please keep me posted.

Best regards,

Jenny

Re: 3-Point Temp Differential on Schedules?

femcrae3 — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 16:25:26 GMT

- They were installed last Monday, by my regular professional HVAC contractor who was there to perform the regular, seasonal maintenance on both units.

- Both systems are conventional (not heat pumps)

- Both systems are serviced every spring and every fall. The most recent service was on Monday, the same day the thermostats were installed.

- Yes, but it's set to "suggestions" instead of making changes on its own.

- Yes, they have C wires.

- No, there are no error messages; it just won't let you have a smaller than 3-degree gap between your cool and heat temperatures in all schedules (comfort, eco, sleep or custom), regardless of what mode you're in (Heat, Cool or Auto Heat/Cool).

- Attaching a screenshot of the wiring diagram.

- There is no Settings > Device Settings option. There is Settings > Eco When Away, Schedules, Nest Sense, Temperature Presets, Safety Temps, Display, Farsighted, Lock, Equipment, Sensors, Air Filter Reminders, System Health Monitor, Notifications, Energy Dashboard and Device Information. But there is no Settings > Device Settings option. I'm also attaching some screenshots of the temperature preferences.