Article Summary:
In order to save energy when you’re not home, you can manually put your Nest Thermostat into Away mode, or take it out of Away mode at any time on the Nest Thermostat itself or with Nest app. When your Nest Thermostat determines that no one is at home, it will automatically activate Away mode, also known as Auto-Away. When you return, it will automatically switch Auto-Away off.
When and why you should set your thermostat to Away
Away mode is ideal for saving energy when no one will be home for a long time, like a family vacation. Just set your thermostat to Away when you’re leaving. If you forget, you can always manually set Away mode with the Nest app. When you set the Nest Thermostat to Away, there is no delay: it immediately starts saving energy and will keep your home within your Away temperatures range so your home doesn’t get too hot or too cold. Your thermostat will stay in Away mode until you switch it to Home mode. So if a neighbor comes by to deliver your mail or walk your dog, your thermostat will stay in Away mode even though it senses activity in your home.
How do I put my Nest Thermostat into Away mode? >
Auto-Away remembers so you don’t have to
Auto-Away turns on automatically when your Nest Thermostat senses you’re out of the house—it’s there so you don’t have to remember to change the temperature before you walk out the door. It takes some time before Auto-Away realizes that you’re not coming back, so there will be a short delay before it activates. Like Away mode, Auto-Away also keeps your home’s temperature within your Away temperature range. However, when your thermostat senses that someone’s home, it will switch off Auto-Away and return to your regular temperature schedule.
Away and Auto-Away maintain the same temperature range
Whether you manually put your thermostat into Away mode or let Auto-Away do it for you, they both maintain the same temperature range so your home doesn’t get too hot or too cold. You can set the exact range on your Nest Thermostat in the SETTINGS menu. The table below shows the highest and lowest temperatures that you can set for both heating and cooling modes.
Away and Auto-Away temperature ranges
Heating range
Cooling range
40-70°F
4.5-21°C
76-90°F
24.5-32°C