Maximize Earnings During the Heating Season with Google Nest

Maximize Earnings During the Heating Season with Google Nest

This heating season, we know you are busy, and time is money. Google Nest is here to help maximize earnings during the heating season by incorporating Google Nest products and solutions into your business.

How will Google Nest Increase Earnings this Heating Season?

• Instruct you with the most efficient way to install and configure Nest thermostats.
• Teach you how Nest thermostats work with heat pumps including updated features that can improve upon already efficient heat pump systems and answer some frequently asked questions. 
• Demonstrate how to leverage the Google Nest brand to help you acquire new customers and leverage HVAC System Health Monitor to bring in additional revenue.

Efficient Tips and Tricks to Save Time & Money During Install

As an HVAC contractor, your time is valuable. To save you time, here are tips you and the homeowner can do to prepare before the install.

Before Install (Homeowner)

• Make sure your customer has a Gmail address created.
• Have them write down their Wi-Fi information.
• Finally, have them download the Google Home app.

Before Install (Installer)

• Download the Google Home app. and sign in.
• Have Nest Power Connectors on hand for a seamless installation.
• Have additional temperature sensors on hand, like the Nest Learning Thermostat 4th gen.

After Install (Homeowner)

• Add your customer’s thermostat to their Google Home App.
• Setup their initial schedule. 
• And add home members in the Google Home app.

For the best customer experience, Google Nest recommends giving customers a brief explanation of some of the new Nest thermostat’s intelligent features, such as:

• Smart Schedule for the Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen)
• Home and Away routines
• Heat Pump Balance

With Pro Setup the Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen) and Nest Thermostat can be installed and configured directly from the contractor’s phone through Bluetooth. 

Once you’re done configuring key equipment settings, the homeowner will pair the thermostat to their phone and configure their information, including:

• Schedule
• Temperature Presets
• Intelligent Features
• Address 
• And Wi-Fi information. 

This will allow you to configure a Nest thermostat when a homeowner is not home, or even on a new build!

Nest Thermostats and Heat Pumps

Nest thermostats have been updated with more intelligent heat pump control features that help homeowners save energy and money, by actively adjusting aux heat lockouts helping the homeowner use LESS aux heat.

Nest thermostats make heat pumps better. The Nest thermostats continuously optimize the heat pump by actively adjusting auxiliary heat usage based on temperature and performance.

Heat Pump Balance Feature

Thermostats use data to actively adjust the auxiliary lockout temperature:

• The heat pump’s runtime each cycle.
• Outdoor weather forecast.
• The temperature in the home.

Items to Consider with Heat Pump Compatibility:

• While rare to not have one, the thermostat requires an O/B wire.
• The system can not be a communicating system or require a proprietary thermostat. 
• The Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen) is compatible with a two stage heat pump, one stage of auxiliary heat or two states of alternate heat.
• The Nest Thermostat is compatible with a single stage heat pump, one stage of auxiliary or one state of alternate heat.
• Both are compatible with dual fuel.

When wiring the system – on the Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen) you will see the W2 terminal labeled as “Aux.” When using heat strips with the compressor, you’ll want to wire it here and configure it as “aux” heat. If you are using a secondary heat source to run INSTEAD of the compressor, you will configure that as “alt” heat. You can use both the W1 & W2 terminals for two stages of “Alt” heat.

When it comes to emergency heat you can use the *Star terminal to wire the equipment, but none is required. Without a dedicated Emergency Heat wire in the star terminal, the thermostat will activate the Aux heat or Highest stage of Alt heat when a user turns on Emergency Heat. 

To activate emergency heat on the thermostat see options below.

On the Nest thermostat:

• Go to settings
• Go to emergency heat
• Turn on or off.

In the Google Home app:

• Tap the thermostat
• Tap settings
• Tap thermostat
• Click emergency heat
• Turn on/off

The Power of Google Nest

According to research by OnePoll in 2019, Google had one of the top recognized logos. In 2021, Morning Consult Pro found Google as the most trusted brand. When it comes to smart thermostats Google Nest is the clear leader owning 27% of the smart thermostat market. This is important as an HVAC contractor because homeowners want Nest thermostats.

Making Google Nest thermostats the face of your systems gives brand recognition that your consumers understand, as Google Nest is one of the only brands in HVAC that a homeowner can relate to. The thermostat is the face of the system you install because that is what the homeowner interacts with. Although it’s a small item of the overall package, why not make the face of your system what your homeowners want?

You can even use Nest thermostats to satisfy unhappy homeowners. Doing this has a side benefit of getting you in the door to leverage HVAC System Health Monitor so you stay connected to that homeowner in the future.

HVAC System Health Monitor

Smart monitoring features on connected thermostats can generate long-term revenue streams from proactive service jobs. They will also keep you connected year-round with that customer because your information can be found on the thermostat or in the apps. 

Your Investment:

• As an example: install 100 connected units with monitoring this year.
• Some of those thermostats will identify a service opportunity.
• Some of those opportunities will lead to full system replacements.

HVAC System Health Monitor works by alerting the homeowner when an issue arises, this alert has your contact information for easy scheduling of service calls, that’s if you entered your Nest Pro ID during installation. This featuring is included on all Nest Thermostats.

As we enter the heating season, we know everyone will be busy. Google Nest is here to make sure you are set up for success!

Utilize the efficient install tips to quickly install and get to the next job. We even have checklists for you!

• Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen) Efficient Install Checklist 
• Nest Thermostat Efficient Install Checklist

With the growing popularity of heat pumps, leverage Nest thermostats to improve on already efficient heat pump systems!

• Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen) Pro Install Guide
• Nest Thermostat Heat Pump Configuration

Leverage the Google Nest brand and HVAC System Health Monitor to close more whole system sales and stay connected to the customer!

• Why be a Nest Pro
• HVAC System Health Monitor

To leverage the Google Nest Brand & HVAC System Health Monitor you must sign up to be a Nest Pro. If you are not a Nest Pro visit g.co/nestpro to sign up today. 

This guest post was written by the Google Nest team. For more information, check out the Google Nest Community here.