What to Do If Nest Thermostat Battery Won’t Charge and How to Replace It? 

The smart thermostat market is continuing to grow at a healthy rate. In 2021, this market was estimated at $2.6 billion. In less than 10 years from then to 2030, it is projected to increase nearly tenfold, to a value of $25.5 billion.

This market has a lot of major players at work, but the clear leader is Nest, holding just over a third of the market share. This should not be too much of a surprise, as the potential of their pilot product, their smart thermostat, led Google to acquire them for over $3 billion back in 2014.

Between 2011 and 2018, Nest sold more than 11 million devices under that brand name, which is impressive. That means that there’s a good chance that you know someone with a Nest smart device in their home, especially if they use a smart thermostat. One thing that makes these thermostats great is that many models (but not all) feature rechargeable batteries that will save you money.

But what if you notice that your Nest thermostat battery won’t charge despite your best attempts to get it to? That’s something that a few people with these devices face. So if your Nest thermostat is not charging, this article will answer why and what you can do to get it working like normal again. So let’s get into it.

Do you have a particular question about cases when Nest Thermostat battery won’t charge? Then use the table of contents below to jump to the most relevant section. And you can always go back by clicking on the black arrow in the right bottom corner of the page. Also, please note that some of the links in this article may be affiliate links. For more details, check the Disclosure section at the bottom of the page. 

Do Nest thermostats need to be charged?

To pit it simply, not all Nest thermostats need to be charged because not all Nest thermostats come with rechargeable batteries in them.

Suppose you have the Nest Learning Thermostat or the Thermostat E. In that case, you can recharge Nest thermostat because it comes with a lithium-ion battery inside it.

However, suppose you have the regular Nest thermostat. In that case, there’s no way to recharge it because it uses two regular AAA batteries to keep itself juiced up.

One important thing to know about these Nest thermostats, regardless of the kind you have, is that the batteries, whether rechargeable or AAA, only serve as a backup power source in case the thermostat loses power.

This means that recharging or replacing Nest battery is not likely to be a regular occurrence unless there’s a problem with its power source or the thermostat itself.

How to tell if Nest Thermostat is charging?

Suppose you have one of the Nest Learning Thermostats or the Thermostat E model. In that case, when you plug it in, you might want to know how to be sure that you’ve got your Nest Thermostat charging properly.

First of all, let’s talk about how you recharge Nest Thermostat in the first place. The first thing you will need to do is pull the thermostat display off the base it is mounted to on your wall. Then, flip it around, and you’ll see that it has a micro-USB port at the back (or mini-USB if you’re using the first-generation device).

You can use a wall charger or a USB port on a computer, but either way, make sure that it is plugged in, and that the cable is nice and snug on both ends.

Once you see the light blinking on the front of the thermostat, you’ll know it is charging. If you don’t see a blinking light, your Nest Thermostat is not charging. 

The color of the blinking light doesn’t matter, as it depends on how much charge the battery had before you plugged it into recharge.

How long does Nest Thermostat charging take?

If you charge your Nest Thermostat as soon as you get the low battery notification, it should take only about 30 minutes to get it juiced back up to full.

However, if it has been long since you last charged the thermostat and the battery is completely drained, you might need to wait as long as two hours for it to be full again.

Nest Thermostat needs to shut down to recharge the battery. Is it normal?

Suppose you’re dealing with a Nest Thermostat shutting down to recharge. In that case, I can tell you that is certainly not normal behavior. After doing some research, I have found that it is a rare issue that few people face, but it can be very frustrating.

If this happens, there’s likely a problem with the power reaching the thermostat from the battery. You may need to replace Nest battery to get it working like normal again. Fortunately, a later section in this article will teach you what you need to know when replacing Nest battery.

Why is my Nest Thermostat battery not charging?

So, you’ve pulled your thermostat off the wall and plugged it in, but you see your Nest not charging for some reason. Similar to when you’re facing problems with another device, like a smartphone or computer not charging, there are a few reasons why you might be facing this.

Here are the most common reasons that you’ll find for your Nest thermostat not charging:

1. There’s something wrong with the cable you’re using. You can use any other device that you have at home to verify that the cable is functional, or you can get a new micro-USB cable (or mini-USB for the first-generation Nest Learning Thermostat)
2. The power source is defective. This might be a wall charger or computer USB port. Try another one out.
3. The Nest Thermostat not holding charge because the battery inside it is defective and needs to be replaced. The next section will show you how to do this.
4. You’re facing a software glitch or bug. You can restart the thermostat or update its software to try and fix it. To restart it, press the ring on the thermostat, select Settings, then enter the Reset menu. Choose “Restart.” You can also update the Nest by going into Settings, Version, and then choosing update. If you don’t have Wi-Fi, you can update Nest thermostat via USB.

How to replace Nest Thermostat battery?

If you want to replace Nest battery in the regular thermostat, it is pretty easy. You just need to take it off the wall, take off the battery cover, and replace the AAA batteries.

If your Nest battery is not charging in the Nest Learning Thermostat, the process is a bit more invasive. You should only proceed at your own risk, as you will need to open the device. Follow the steps below:

1. Take the thermostat off of the wall.
2. Flip it over. You will see four screws in a square shape. Remove all of them.
3. Pull off the back of the display, but be careful, as there is a short ribbon connected to the display itself.
4. Disconnect the ribbon using the pull tab (“1. Pull”) by the end of the ribbon.
5. Now, use the battery’s second pull tab (“2. Pull”) to lift it up.
6. Use the last blue pull tab (“3. Unplug”) to disconnect the battery from the motherboard.
7. Now, you can put in a replacement battery. You can use for the second and third-generation Nest Learning Thermostat.
8. Once you’ve got it installed, screw the back on again.
9. Put it back on the wall, and that’s it!

Credits: Thanks for the photo to Canva.

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