Learn about Airwave and how to change settings

Airwave can help lower air conditioning costs by automatically shutting off your compressor at the right time. Airwave will only work on Google Nest thermostats that control central air conditioning.

To understand Airwave, you need to understand how cooling systems work.

Air conditioners have 2 main parts: the compressor and the fan. The compressor uses a lot of electricity while the fan uses very little.

Many other thermostats keep the compressor running until your target temperature is reached, then turns it off. They ignore the fact that the compressor coils stay cold and can generate cold air for 5-10 minutes after the compressor has been turned off.

Airwave takes advantage of this and turns the compressor off a little before reaching the target temperature. Then it runs the fan alone until it reaches the temperature you want. This can help save energy and keep you comfortable.

How Airwave works

Airwave learns exactly how much cooling can be done with the compressor off. It automatically shuts off your compressor at the right time to help maximize your savings.
Your Nest thermostat automatically turns on Airwave when interior humidity falls below a certain level. This level is calculated by Nest to be optimal for your home.
When Airwave activates an icon will appear on your thermostat’s display.
- On the Nest Learning Thermostat (3rd gen or earlier) and the Nest Thermostat E, you’ll find a blue swirl .
- On the Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen) and Nest Thermostat, you’ll find 3 wavy lines .
While Airwave requires the humidity level inside your home to be relatively low, it may still turn on if it's humid outside. This is especially true if your home is relatively new and well-insulated.
If it's very humid in your home, your Nest thermostat won't use Airwave and will run your system's compressor for the entire cooling cycle to prioritize lowering the humidity and helping to prevent mold.

Turn Airwave off or on

You can turn Airwave off or on with your Nest thermostat or with the app.

When set to on, Airwave may or may not turn on depending on how humid it is in your home. When it's set to off, Airwave will never turn on.

Home app

Nest Thermostat and Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen)

Tap and hold your device's tile.
At the top right, tap Settings Temperature Preferences Airwave .
Tap the switch to turn Airwave off or on.

Nest app

Note: Available on the Nest Learning Thermostat (3rd gen) and Nest Thermostat E only.

Tap Settings .
Select your thermostat.
Tap Airwave .
Tap the switch to turn Airwave off or on.

With your thermostat

Note: Available on the Nest Learning Thermostat (3rd gen) and Nest Thermostat E only.

Press the ring to bring up the Quick View menu.
Go to Settings .
Choose Nest Sense.
Select Airwave.
Select Airwave off or Airwave on. Airwave appears with a check mark (✔) next to it when it's turned on, and with a dash (–) when it's turned off.

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