topic Re: Eco Mode- BEWARE in Nest Thermostats

Eco Mode- BEWARE

Kayla_B48 — Wed, 22 Jun 2022 13:08:27 GMT

Dear Google Nest,

I am writing this letter to make you aware of a potentially dangerous situation that could have occurred as a result of my Nest thermostat.

On Monday, 6/21/22 I purchased a Nest thermostat at my local Best Buy. I was very excited to get this new technology and immediately installed it when I got home. During the setup, I declined to setting up the eco mode so I could read into it more at a later date.

Yesterday on 6/22/22 I went to work at 7:30am and left the house at a cool 73 degrees. While at work, I decided to check my new Nest app around 3:30pm to see how the A/C was keeping up on the 100 degree day we were experiencing. Much to my surprise, our thermostat was in eco mode and not running at all. Our dog was in the home by himself at a very hot temperature of 83 degrees. Being a dog mom, I was already aware that depending on the conditions, dogs can begin to experience symptoms of heat stroke in this temperature. At this point I was immediately concerned for the health and safety of my fur baby.

Upon noticing this, I quickly turned on the A/C from the app on my phone and rushed home to check on the dog. Thankfully he was okay, but very lethargic, which lasted throughout the evening.

I am extremely concerned that this situation could have ended differently, which is why I am writing to urge Nest to consider giving a notice to customers that even when they skip setting up the eco function, the thermostat will still indeed go into eco mode and shut off when they are not home. Aside from my dog suffering due to this, I am quite confused as to why my “smart” thermostat would think it is a good idea to completely shut off my A/C on a 100 degree day.

That said, I have gone through every setting possible to ensure eco mode will never turn back on in my home and am considering returning the device all together after the scare we had.

I truly hope that this message will make it to the right person, as I do not want anyone else having to deal with an issue like this.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Re: Eco Mode- BEWARE

Nester123 — Wed, 22 Jun 2022 13:32:25 GMT

The nest thermostat has a “presence sensing” feature which automatically turns your system into “eco” mode when you are away. You can turn presence sensing off in the settings, which will stop this from happening. It uses your phone location to determine if you’re home or not.

Re: Eco Mode- BEWARE

CBFox — Wed, 22 Jun 2022 14:30:30 GMT

Yes, as Nester123 says, the presence-sensing "smart" feature may have turned on your Eco Mode. I just wanted to mention that the feature is called Home/Away Assist in some interfaces, if you're looking for it to turn it off.

Re: Eco Mode- BEWARE

Kayla_B48 — Wed, 22 Jun 2022 15:06:40 GMT

Thank you, Nester123 & CBFox. I was able to find that within the app and turn everything off. At this rate, I am still a bit frustrated, and am considering returning all together.

Re: Eco Mode- BEWARE

Beckyclaypittma — Wed, 22 Jun 2022 15:08:20 GMT

DO I MAKE THOSE CHANGES ON THE THERMOSTAT ON THE WALL OR ON MY PHONE APP? I SO DISLIKE THIS PRODUCT AND WOULD LIKE TO SMASH IT!!! SORRY - harsh I know but this is nuts!!!

Re: Eco Mode- BEWARE

Kayla_B48 — Wed, 22 Jun 2022 15:20:44 GMT

Make the changes in the Nest app. Go to the settings logo in the top right corner and click "Home/Away Assist." go in there and turn everything you can see OFF!!! Believe me, I get the frustration!

Re: Eco Mode- BEWARE

Stephawu — Sat, 25 Jun 2022 21:37:34 GMT

I have the same fear and kee turning off my eco because my dog is home and i am not and it is 95 degrees out.

i am checking my phone every 5-10 min to make sure my french bulldog wont die.

please create a function to pause or something.

found this while searching for a solution. Is there one??

Re: Eco Mode- BEWARE

Nester123 — Sat, 25 Jun 2022 23:08:58 GMT

The answer is in the thread of this conversation. Go into the app that you’re using to control your nest. If it’s google home, turn off “presence sensing”, if you use the Nest App, it’s in the “Home/Away assist”. Just turn off the feature that says when you’re phone is away from your home, go into “ECO” mode.

Re: Eco Mode- BEWARE

EdwardT — Sat, 25 Jun 2022 23:12:23 GMT

Hi folks,

@Nester123 and CBFox, really appreciate the help.

I'm sorry to hear that you had an issue with the Eco temperature feature of your Nest Thermostat. We appreciate people who are keen on sharing with us their thoughts. We're always looking for ways to improve and we'll take this as feedback.

Thanks,

Edward

Re: Eco Mode- BEWARE

CBFox — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 13:31:23 GMT

Also, just in case, set your Eco Temperature as low as it will go.

Re: Eco Mode- BEWARE

EdwardT — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 20:31:22 GMT

Hi folks,

It's me again. I wanted to check back in to see if you have other questions and concerns. Feel free to let me know if you do.

Thanks,

Edward

Re: Eco Mode- BEWARE

EdwardT — Tue, 28 Jun 2022 20:56:33 GMT

Hi folks,

Just checking in to make sure that you've seen our response. Please let us know if you have any other questions or concerns as I will be locking this in 24 hours.

Thanks,

Edward