Is There a Thermostat That Switches from Heat to Cool Automatically? (Explained)

As the title says, this post will try to answer the question about whether there are thermostats that switch from heat to cool mode and vice versa automatically. If that sounds like what you’re looking to learn about, then you want to keep reading as this post contains valuable information for you. Let’s dive in!

Is there a thermostat that switches from Heat to Cool automatically?

Yes. Some thermostats switch from Heat to Cool mode automatically. A typical example is the Google Nest thermostat. Also, some models of Honeywell and Sensi thermostats have a feature that switches the thermostat from heat to cool automatically and vice versa.

However, the feature doesn’t work automatically; you’ll have to enable it if you want your thermostat to switch between various modes.

Curious to learn more about a thermostat that switches between various modes? If so, keep reading as we will focus on the Google Nest thermostat in the next few paragraphs.

Nest Thermostat: Does it Automatically Switch Between Heat and Cool?

Short answer: Yes. Nest thermostat has 5 modes, and it can automatically switch between these modes. Each mode behaves differently, so when it switches from one mode to the other (especially when in Heat-Cool mode), it changes the temperature of your home. However, you can also manually set the mode you want.

Let’s dig deeper into why Nest thermostat switches between heat and cool and other related subjects.

How Nest Thermostat Switches Between Heat and Cool

As mentioned, a thermostat that switches between heat and cool mode comes equipped with a feature that allows it to do so. For Nest thermostat, this feature is known as the ‘Heat-Cool Mode. So if your thermostat is set to this mode, it will surely switch between the various modes to make sure the temperature in your home falls within a set range.

What Nest Thermostat Does at Each Mode 

In this section, we look at the functions of the various modes of the Nest thermostat.

• Heat Mode: At Heat Mode, your Nest thermostat will continue to heat your home until it reaches your Safety temperatures. But if you have preset a particular temperature, it continues to heat the home to maintain that preset temperature.
• Cool Mode: Unlike the Heat Mode, the Cool Mode cools your home until it reaches your Safety temperatures. But it keeps cooling the home to maintain a preset temperature—if there is any set.
• Off Mode: At the Off mode, your thermostat will not do any heating or cooling functions unless you need to maintain your safe temperature. That means at any other time, the thermostat will remain off and won’t cool or heat the home.
• Eco Mode: The Eco Mode, however, is designed to keep the temperature of your home within a particular range, especially when you are away from home. When you manually set the device to this mode, the thermostat won’t follow any temperature schedule on the system. But if it automatically sets itself to the Eco Mode, it will also automatically return to follow your schedule once it notices that you have arrived home.

How to Switch Nest Thermostat to Cooling, Heating, or Off Mode

Now that you know what your Nest thermostat does at each mode, let’s see how you can manually switch between these modes.

1. Press the thermostat Ring so it can bring up the Quick View menu.
2. Turn the Ring to the heat symbol and press to select your desired mode.
3. Now select a mode to activate it.
4. Press the Ring again to confirm your selection

How to Switch to Eco Mode on Nest Thermostat

Before switching to Eco Mode, keep in mind that (when in this mode) your thermostat will ignore all scheduled temperatures until you manually switch back to either cooling or heating mode. But if your thermostat automatically switches to this mode, it will resume your normal temperature schedules immediately after you arrive home.

Now here’s how to switch your thermostat to Eco Mode:

1. On the thermostat, press the Ring to open the Quick View menu.
2. Turn the Ring to ECO (leaf symbol) and press to select it.
3. Select START ECO.

If your thermostat is already set at Eco, you can manually stop it so the thermostat can return to its regular temperature schedule. To do that, select STOP ECO after turning the Ring to the Eco symbol on the thermostat.

Not able to switch your Nest thermostat to Eco Mode? Go here for a step-by-step guide on how to switch any Nest thermostat to Eco Mode.

Wrapping Up

By now, you already know whether there is a thermostat that automatically switches between Heat and Cool mode. Of course, there are thermostats with this feature such as Nest and Sensi thermostats.

And as mentioned, the feature is usually disabled by default, so you have to enable it if you want your thermostat to automatically switch between various modes.

More so, some of these thermostats have other modes apart from the Heat and Cool mode. For instance, Nest thermostat has other modes such as Off and Eco modes and it can automatically switch to each mode depending on the settings. And while your thermostat can switch between these modes, you can also manually choose your preferred mode.