Nest thermostat bug leaves freezing cold customers shivering through a cold snap

Although we can all agree that this is probably one of the mildest winters ever, it is still winter, which means it is cold and after being outside freezing you’re looking forward to getting home and warm up.

A software bug that caused Nest’s smart thermostat to stop working has left many users both cold and angry.

Neil Pennington, npower’s Director of Innovation, comments, “The third generation of Nest is better still at learning what customers like – it’s slimmer, sleeker and uses intelligent technology, aiming to save money and energy”.

The company has confirmed that a software update error had caused the thermostat’s batteries to drain, therefore making it unable to control the temperature. Some of those affected took to Nest’s own forum and social media to vent their anger about the problem. Because of its connected nature, you can also set it to turn on or off automatically when you leave the home or when you’re on your way back. The cause was apparently a December update that caused the glitch in early January. Maybe not too hard if you wake up with chilly toes, but many Nest users rely on the Wi-Fi-enabled thermostat to keep the temperature consistent in second homes that likely aren’t just down the street. However, they say that other issues may occur if the boilers or air filters are not compatible with the device. This is according to a report from The New York Times’ Nick Bilton who reported a first-hand account of his Nest thermostat dying on him. “We are working on a solution that we expect to roll out in the coming weeks”, the company said in a statement.