What is your Eco setting ?

[BlueView]

I’m just setting up the thermostat installed yesterday.

What temperature should I set the Eco setting to?

if it’s personal choice, what have you set it to?

[CBFox · Accepted solution]

It is definitely personal choice and depends on many things  --  how you're using Eco (see below), what your house and your HVAC system are like, and how you personally feel when the house is at a certain temperature.  Also, you didn't say whether you're using the Nest for heating or cooling; that would make a big difference in what qualifies as "eco"!

There are two ways to use Eco Mode.  

You can operate the Nest as an ordinary programmable thermostat, so that it follows the schedule you set unless you manually intervene.  In this scenario, Eco Mode functions as a permanent hold.  You turn Eco Mode on when you're going to be away for an extended period, and then turn it off when you're home (or, for more comfort, turn it off remotely when you're on your way home.)  Your Eco temperature can be pretty extreme, to save a lot of energy, since you'll never have to actually experience it.

Or you can take advantage of the Nest's "smart" feature  --  presence sensing or Home/Away Assist (name depends on your model).  You're letting the Nest figure out whether you're home or away.  If the Nest believes that you're away, it will aim at your Eco temperature and won't change back until it senses you're home.  In this scenario you wouldn't want the Eco temperature to be too extreme, as you'll be returning to an uncomfortable house every time you're out for a few hours.

[CBFox · Accepted solution]

It is definitely personal choice and depends on many things  --  how you're using Eco (see below), what your house and your HVAC system are like, and how you personally feel when the house is at a certain temperature.  Also, you didn't say whether you're using the Nest for heating or cooling; that would make a big difference in what qualifies as "eco"!

There are two ways to use Eco Mode.  

You can operate the Nest as an ordinary programmable thermostat, so that it follows the schedule you set unless you manually intervene.  In this scenario, Eco Mode functions as a permanent hold.  You turn Eco Mode on when you're going to be away for an extended period, and then turn it off when you're home (or, for more comfort, turn it off remotely when you're on your way home.)  Your Eco temperature can be pretty extreme, to save a lot of energy, since you'll never have to actually experience it.

Or you can take advantage of the Nest's "smart" feature  --  presence sensing or Home/Away Assist (name depends on your model).  You're letting the Nest figure out whether you're home or away.  If the Nest believes that you're away, it will aim at your Eco temperature and won't change back until it senses you're home.  In this scenario you wouldn't want the Eco temperature to be too extreme, as you'll be returning to an uncomfortable house every time you're out for a few hours.

[ReluctantLandlo · Accepted solution]

I copied the following info from the Nest app “learn more” from the Eco mode setup instructions.  Hope it helps you.  

Your Nest thermostat gives you a temperature range that you can select from when you set an Eco Temperature. The Eco Temperature ranges you can choose from are large: 40-70 °F (4-21 °C) for heating mode and 76-90 °F (24-32 °C) for cooling mode.

Factors like your home’s construction, local climates, heating and cooling system performance, and your personal comfort preference can vary widely. So we don’t make specific Eco Temperature recommendations, but you’ll find some general guidelines below to help you choose what’s right for your home.

Quick tips

• When you’re choosing an Eco Temperature setting, the Nest Leaf will appear to let you know you’ve selected a temperature that can help save energy. The Leaf is only a general guide, so you may save energy even if you choose an Eco Temperature that doesn’t have a Leaf.
• If you choose “Off” for either the “Heat to” or “Cool to” temperature, your system won’t turn on at all when your thermostat is set to Eco until your home reaches the Safety Temperature.
• Try to set Eco Temperatures to a level that helps save energy, while making sure that people, pets and plants in your home will be comfortable, and your pipes won’t freeze. 
• You can always change the setting if you’re uncomfortable or if you’re not saving as much energy as you like.

More help for choosing a temperature

These questions can help you figure out a good Eco Temperature to start with:

• What temperature did you set your old thermostat to?

  If you want to emphasize your comfort over energy savings, try a Heat to Eco Temperature a few degrees lower, or a Cool to temperature a few degrees higher than what you typically left your old thermostat set to most of the time.

• If you ever changed your old thermostat’s temperature to save energy, what did you set it to?

  If you want to try balancing energy savings and comfort, and you:

  • had a programmed schedule for your old thermostat
  • manually changed the temperature when you left home

  Try selecting a slightly lower heating temperature (or higher cooling temperature) than what you set your old thermostat to to save energy. Since your Nest thermostat will only automatically switch to the Eco Temperature when your home is unoccupied, you may not notice the temperature difference.

• What do you think are the lowest or highest temperatures that you would be OK with?

  If you really want to focus on saving energy, try setting your Heat to or Cool to Eco Temperatures a bit more aggressively, but don’t go beyond what you feel will be comfortable for you, other people, and your pets.

Tip: Eco Temperature settings are just one way your Nest thermostat can help you save energy. Learn more about how to improve energy savings.

Example for choosing an Eco Temperature

Let’s say you have a heating-only system and like the temperature at 70° F (21° C) when you’re home. If your home is well insulated and your system heats your home fairly quickly, you might decide to pick 56° F (13.5° C) as an Eco Temperature. You know your home won’t take long to heat to a comfortable temperature after switching out of Eco. So you can try to save more energy while still remaining pretty comfortable.

On the other hand, if your home isn’t well insulated and your system is slow to heat it, you might decide on 62° F (16.5° C) Since the Eco Temperature is closer to your preferred temperature, your home should take less time to become comfortable after your thermostat switches out of Eco.

[Markjosephp]

Hi folks,

Thanks for sharing how Eco temperature works with Nest thermostat, @CBFox and @ReluctantLandlo. Big help!

@BlueView, I hope you've got the answer you're looking for. Have a look at this article about Ecor temperature and let us know if you need more help.

Best regards,

Mark

[Markjosephp]

Hi BlueView,

Checking back in — how's it going? Still need our help?

Best regards,

Mark

[BlueView]

• Sorted, thank you, Mark

[Markjosephp]

Hi BlueView,

Thanks for getting back and for letting us know it has been resolved.

So I'm going to be locking this thread in 24 hours. If you have any other concerns or questions, please feel free to create a new thread.

Best regards,

Mark