Hello NYtoMO,
Thank you for taking the time to let us know about your inquiry.
It's actually quite common for people to have similar concerns. It sounds like in your case, the Nest Thermostat was still registering the need for heating because it measures the ambient temperature and compares it to your set target temperature. However, it can't directly monitor whether the furnace is actually running.
So, in the absence of the furnace being on, the thermostat continues to believe it's working to reach the desired temperature. It relies on the feedback from the temperature sensors and assumes that the heating system is operational. The situation you described, with the furnace switch being off, likely led to the thermostat running its programming without achieving the intended result. Check if you notice any discrepancies between what Nest reports and the actual temperature in your home. Kids, as you mentioned, or anyone else with access to the thermostat controls, might inadvertently change settings.
Feel free to ask if you have any more questions or if there's anything else you'd like to clarify.
Regards,
Mark
