Neat Thermostat Additional Boost mode

[Roundy]

can you have a vote for your customers and see who wants and update in your thermostats software that allows a boost mode ?? I reckon 90% of your customer base will want this option give the customers what they want please …..

[Jim7224]

Saying hey google i think raises temp but does not go back to default temp after a period of time…?

[SurajPrasai]

I did this with Alexa. Shame on you google.
Alexa Routine

“Alexa boost 1 hour”

Set temp 22

Wait 1 Hr

Set temp 15

Alexa routine with wait is brilliant

[Moolintooti]

Nice work, is that an Alexa routine? Have you worked out to get Alexa to turn the hot water on for 1 hour?

[SurajPrasai]

Yeap, Alexa routine. I have got a combi boiler so can’t test this but if you can turn on the hot water you can follow the same principle. Good luck.

[Brett4]

I’ve made the same mistake as a number of others on this post. Bought three of these assuming they would have a boost feature. In hindsight I should have fitted basic stats. Total waste of money and in two months two have failed and I’ve had to suffer Google’s diabolical after sales service. 

[Jim7224]

So am i right the only way is alexa/google saying google im cold which raises the current temp approx 1.5 which does not revert to original temp after the boost. So you will need a set schedule to get temp back down or manually adjust. And im pretty sure you can not have multiple nests set up in different rooms in the UK to control temp upstairs and downstairs. 

[TAJ51]

I do have two NEST thermostats (hence I’m doubly pissed that they don’t have a booster function). One controls the living area, one controls the bedrooms. Each being on separate valves.  However to add another gripe to this chain and that’s the HOME AWAY function. It simply does not work. We go out for the evening to come back to a house, with central heating blazing and no one home. In the good old days, I’d turn down the thermostat as we left, turn it back in when we come home. Now I can’t do that because the **bleep** thing turns itself on even when we’re out. This is one of the most annoying, expensive pieces of tech I’ve ever come across. Oversold, over promised and under delivers. 

[Ian1]

Another thing that Google can ignore. smart tech , seemingly designed by some no so smart people 

[cw2]

Strangely, that does seem to work for us. IIRC you do have to enable it, and it can be related to both your smartphone and proximity (motion sensing) to the unit. It even seems to work with family, configured in Google. Might be worthwhile checking whether it's working by looking at the history. Check the configuration instructions.

[TAJ51]

Hey thanks for giving me the heads up in the HOME AWAY. I checked settings and it was still looking for an old phone handset, hence not knowing I was out. It worked tonight. Thanks. 

[TAJ51]

Ah. Thank you. Good to know. I’ll go through it again. Roughly how long after you leave the house does it kick in? 

[cw2]

It's a while since I checked - and still (just) in Eco! I do remember that it turned  off when I left, but my wife was left in the cold until I sorted out the Google family settings. I remember adjusting some of the pre-heating times as well to stop it 'learning' to come on too early to achieve the requested temperature at the scheduled time.

[TAJ51]

Thanks. I’ll give it another go. 

[IainT]

I've recently had success in creating a routine for 'boost' for half an hour. I used Leaving Home routine purely to Add action of Increase Thermostat to set x temp and then delay 30 min and set to x temp.

It requires me to say Boost Heating in the house and is picked up on my hub in the living room and tested multiple times now, works just fine.

Not a native Boost but a workaround that I'm really happy with, gives that boost of heating that's programmable! 

[cw2]

That's still a complex means of adding a simple countdown function, a workaround almost satisfying the requirement, and assuming you want voice control. Nevertheless you've highlighted the key problem on entry/exit - the required temperature. The Nest needs to know a separate 'boost' temperature that you want, the countdown time required, and then the temperature after the countdown completes (which I think should simply be the scheduled temperature).

[Bridgemaster]

I agree that Nest, which my gf has, needs the boost option for central heating just like my Hive system at my own home.  One of several reasons why I think Hive is better.  Hive also has a much better ‘holiday’ option which Nest sadly lacks. Google, please add these basic options

[TAJ51]

And if we’re adding basic options, a simple ON/OFF for the hot water would be good among other things. 

The HW does have the boost option. But if it comes on (scheduled) and you don’t need it, you can’t turn it off. Not without going into the schedule, deleting the timer etc. 

Also the CH comes on to pre-heat (a nice feature) but I’ve decided I don’t need the heat on just yet so I turn the thermostat down. A few minutes later (at the scheduled time) the heat comes on again. Why? I just deliberately turn it down. I’m sure these Nests have cost me money rather than saving it.  It’s an appalling, badly thought through, expensive piece of kit. 

[Bridgemaster]

my GF has had a Nest for nearly 3 years and always cleared the hot water schedule when she went on holiday as she couldn’t work out how to turn it off while she was away.  Finally googled it a few weeks ago and found the on/off is hidden in Hot Water then click on the settings cog in the top right.  When you set holiday mode in my Hive you have an option to turn hot water off at the same time as the heating - so easy!

[Docharty]

I'm equally frustrated by the lack of boost function. I have a large house with multiple zones and both Nest thermostats as well as the Honeywell Evo system. I have a variable rate tariff as well as solar. I occasionally find myself in the situation where I would like to boost the temperature in a zone *for a limited time* (either to divert excess solar into heat in a particular zone, or heat part of the house while our electricity is cheap, but not beyond that point). I don't want to have to reprogram the whole schedule, just press a button that will boost the temperature in that zone by half an hour. On the Honeywell system this is easy and very intuitive. On the Nest I have to manually set the temperature higher, create an alarm for half an hour so I don't forget to turn it down, then when the alarm goes off, go back into the Nest app and manually turn the temperature down. This is ridiculous!!! Surely Google can create a feature that lets you do this without all this faff?

[Kid66666]

Google is quite dogmatic about their approach, just using true radiant (which is great) with temperature set points. Judging by the comments we all want:

a) limited time boost. This could be activated on the physical dial by double clicking for the first half hour boost. Then an extra click for additional half hour increments. A top tier Google bod on this forum argued that boost would not know what temperature to attain. That's the point, boost temporarily runs the boiler (at max power if using open therm) with no reference to temperature for a limited time period.

b) the option to program in boost periods to utilize excess renewable energy? Again just just using time as a reference not temperature so no "true radiant" preheating occours as temperature by time is not required.

I guess this can kind of be achieved by turning "true radiant" feature off and use high and low set points to toggle heading on or off. 

[Bridgemaster]

Crazy for Google Nest to have their heads in the sand on this. My GF has the Nest but really regrets it as my Hive is so much better. On my Hive I can press a button to boost (more presses longer boost) and turn the dial to set the thermostat temperature that it boost to.  Hardly rocket science.  

[Ian1]

Proof positive that they really do not care for customers requirements and needs.

I suggest they have simply lost interest in this product  and will eventually dump it

[cw2]

There's 2 temperature problems: the temperature to which to boost; the temperature to go back to. Then there's the timer countdown.

The temperature to go back to is easy as go for the default. I can only assume Google developers are saying: Despite user requirements, we know best, or quite simply the hardware (timer and storage) isn't there.

When it breaks (and it's getting flaky with the weave connection) I'll look at something else like Hive, but hoped for better from Google.

[Pbre]

+1

It is crazy that this still isn't a feature. My parents' first digital thermostat 25 years ago had a 'boost' option.

Presumably most people found this thread whilst searching Google incredulously for how to temporarily boost the temperature on a nest thermostat?

I found a how-to which gave details on how to achieve this on a nest thermostat but it didn't apply to the newer more basic nest stat or the nest learning thermostat.

We've got a nest learning thermostat which did a good job of reducing out usage last year when we used to keep the house warmer. Now we're trying to maximise energy savings with just the bare minimum heating, the learning function keeps setting the schedule to a far higher temperature than we want or need it. So I've turned learning off - but this means that, if we turn the temperature up because we're cold, it stays up until the next scheduled change. 

[Kid66666]

One way round this is to have low temperatures in the schedule every hour or two . So you if you turn it up it will default back down if you forget. Messy solution. 

Just give us a boost feature!

[Jim7224]

So today i bought a hive from a friend, although nest looks smarter and in a way is smarter…. Hive is very simple, easy to set a schedule via app, boost ranges from 15mims to 6hrs. Thats all i wanted and now makes me happy. I didnt want to say hey google im cold. Then make sure the temp is back to original after 30mins+ everytime

[mattb486]

I just setup a hive for my friend, and saw the same thing. I have wanted this for the past 2 years I have had the Nest, but it doesn't exist. The Hive allows you to pick a temp and a time for the boost. I often 'boost' (turn up the temp from the schedules) mine, then forget or end up in a meeting, and with the cost of gas now it's creazy this feature doesn't exist.

I have seen Google say it is against their strategy for the device, but not having it wastes a lot more energy with people manually adapt it.

As a heating design engineer, I would suggest this feature would be more beneficial to energy consumption than a manual option.

At least add it as a feature you can choose to have on or off if you wish. All temp and time to be controlled (as hive 15min - 6hr), and then have it setback to the schedule.

[Ian1]

I guess Google must have an interest in some energy companies!

Cannot be any other reason why they would not want to support customers in saving energy in an easy and efficient may 🙂

[cw2]

It could just be that the Nest doesn't actually have the hardware facilities to do this. It just seems to be the inferior product (and with poor customer liaison).

[Kid66666]

It's all software.

Functionality could be double click the dial to enter boost mode. Turn to set desired temperature. Click once to move on to boost time selection screen. Turn the dial increasing in 15 minute increments. Press the dial again to complete boost request and return to the default screen.

Or maybe better yet, If you turn the dial up, the question pops up on the screen. Press to boost? Click once to enter boost menu as above.

[cw2]

If only it was open source, and/or with some installation options for 3rd part add-ons...

[Ian1]

I agree , inferior product and service

[Kid66666]

This is purely an ideology and software issue.

[cw2]

Hope it's just that and they see sense, or maybe sales revenues.

[SurajPrasai]

Why is this so complicated ….???google should have this as feature by default. My old Danfoss had it.

https://community.home-assistant.io/t/nest-thermostat-boost-mode-script-automation/177678

[cw2]

It's complicated because Google wants to sell us Home Assistant for home automation when all we wanted was a central heating controller with a normal boost option. It should just be built in to the Nest (without voice control).

[shorif2000]

The only reason to have nest or it is good for is if you need heating for zoning in your home. If you just need 1 thermostat then hive is best option. Nest does not have boost. In the many years i have had it i always forget to revert the temp and end up heating home untill im sweaty and realise its still on. Sometimes the different zones left on for hours without realising. With nest you have to be constantly on the app. Learning feature is dogs b******s. Nest installation with zones will cost you from £400 to 5k depending on your setup wiring plumbing redocorating etc.

[Moolintooti]

I chose Nest because it was being recommended for holiday lets. I considered Hive but didn't want a battery powered unit and I wanted the thermostat to be fixed to wall so guests don't lose it somewhere. The only feature of Nest which is useful is the Eco mode triggered by lack of a activity in the house. The learning capability is of no use in a holiday let while the absence of guest accessible boost for heating and hot water are massive design faults as is the absence of Alexa integration for hot water control. I don't know why Google don't invest a little bit to make Nest useful in the real world?!

[Bridgemaster]

I have had a hive for six years and replaced batteries only once. 

[Moolintooti]

Yes I placed too much weight on the battery issue but also I did not know that the Nest did not have boost for heating and hot water and was not properly Alexa enabled. These are such basic capabilities it never occurred to me that Google would have left them out.