REVIEWS / THERMOSTATS / OWNER INSIGHTS
🦉 WE READ 245 OWNER COMMENTS
Google Nest Thermostat E: what owners actually say
Owners report the thermostat works well until Google arbitrarily kills cloud functionality, turning it into an expensive dumb thermostat
What owners complain about
- Killed cloud functionality COMMON
Google ended support for older Nest thermostats, removing app/remote control and scheduling via app. Owners emphasize this is loss of core purchased functionality, not just 'end of support.' One user reports the app/website stopped working 6+ months before the official cutoff.
- Fully dependent on Google's goodwill COMMON
The thermostat requires Google's cloud service to function as advertised. When Google pulls the plug, there is no local API or self-hosted fallback. Owners are furious there is no way to maintain the device independently.
- Forced Nest-to-Google Home migration SOME
Google forced migration from the Nest app to Google Home, which 'couldn't perform half of the functions.' The Nest app was kept alive after complaints but still has more functionality than Google Home.
- Promised energy savings never materialized FEW
One owner of ~10 years reports never seeing actual savings from the learning features, only 'bullshit offers that allowed the electric company' to do demand response.
- Ecosystem abandonment after Google acquisition FEW
One owner installed $3k in Nest gear right before Google's purchase, after which promised HomeKit support was abandoned. Nest cloud storage pricing also increased from $8/mo to $20/mo.
What owners love
- Built-in presence sensor
The Nest and Nest E have built-in motion/presence sensors, unlike the Ecobee3 Lite which requires buying separate sensors and has no built-in occupancy detection.
- Worked fine for years before cutoff
Multiple owners confirm the thermostat functioned well for roughly a decade before Google ended support — it 'did its thing' reliably during that period.
- Compact design
Owners push back on claims the thermostat is bulky, noting it is far from it compared to competitors like the Ecobee.
Surprising patterns
- There is a $12,856 bounty (via the Fulu Foundation) for anyone who can get orphaned Nest thermostats working with Home Assistant, reflecting the depth of owner desperation.
- An open source project (sett.homes) exists to physically replace the internals of bricked Nest thermostats.
- Tech-savvy owners are bypassing smart thermostats entirely, building DIY HVAC control with ESP32 boards, relay boards, and DHT11 sensors running ESPHome through Home Assistant — a fully local, non-cloud solution.
WHO SHOULD SKIP IT
Anyone who expects a thermostat to keep working as purchased for more than a decade, or who wants local control without dependence on Google's cloud — owners overwhelmingly say buy a dumb Honeywell or an Ecobee instead.
Synthesised from 245 real owner comments across 3 platforms. Every point is grounded in the comments — no marketing, no AI guessing. How we do it →