Which Heat Pump Balance setting should I pick?

Pick by what bothers you more. Max Comfort reaches your temperature sooner but uses AUX more often. Max Savings uses AUX as little as possible, so the house may take longer to warm up on cold mornings. Balanced sits between them, and you can change it any time.

Why does my Nest still use AUX heat on Max Savings?

Google says that how much AUX heat you use ultimately depends on your system. Some systems need AUX to keep heating in cold weather even on Max Savings. Defrost cycles can also bring AUX on briefly.

Why is Heat Pump Balance missing on my Nest?

Google lists three reasons: the system has no heat pump, the heat pump has no AUX heat, or it is a dual fuel system. A thermostat that is not set up as a heat pump will not show it either. Google says to contact a local professional if you think the setup is wrong.

Does Heat Pump Balance work without Wi-Fi?

No. Google says the thermostat must be connected to Wi-Fi to use it, because Nest thermostats get the outdoor temperature from local weather data. Without Wi-Fi you can use Early-On, but the thermostat will not take specific steps to avoid AUX heat.

Nest Heat Pump Balance explained

Heat Pump Balance decides how readily a Nest thermostat calls on auxiliary heat (AUX), which Google says can cost about 2 to 5 times as much as the heat pump. You choose Max Comfort (the default), Balanced, Max Savings or Off, and the thermostat sets the AUX lockout temperature. It needs Wi-Fi and does not work with dual fuel systems.

What does Heat Pump Balance control?

It controls one thing: how willing your Nest thermostat is to bring in auxiliary heat (AUX) on top of the heat pump. Google describes AUX as a second heat source that comes with some heat pump systems. The heat pump does most of the work, but it slows down as it gets colder outside, and AUX heats faster at a much higher price. Google puts that price at about 2 to 5 times the cost of running the heat pump.

The main lever is the AUX lockout temperature, the outdoor temperature below which the thermostat may use AUX. On an ordinary programmable thermostat, someone sets that number by hand. With Heat Pump Balance on, you skip the number and pick a preference instead, and the thermostat adjusts the lockout temperature itself based on how your heat pump is performing. Google's point is that running the heat pump longer can be cheaper than using AUX.

The setting only appears on systems with a heat pump and AUX heat. It is not the same thing as emergency heat, which you turn on by hand and which shuts the heat pump off entirely.

What do the four options do?

Google Nest Heat Pump Balance options
Option	What the thermostat tries to do	Effect on the AUX lockout temperature
Max Comfort (default)	Reach your target temperature, even if that means using AUX	Higher, so AUX typically comes on sooner and more often
Balanced	Use AUX when needed	Between Max Comfort and Max Savings
Max Savings	Use AUX as little as possible	Lower, so AUX typically comes on later and less often
Off	Follow a lockout temperature you set yourself	Whatever you enter under Equipment, Heat Pump

From Google's Heat Pump Balance help article. Google does not publish the lockout temperature each option chooses.

Google adds a caution worth taking seriously: whatever you choose, the system has the final say. One system rarely needs AUX; another needs it to keep heating even on Max Savings.

Where do you change it?

The path depends on the model:

Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen), Google Home app: your thermostat, then Equipment, then Heat pump. Turn on "Use Heat Pump Balance" and pick an option.
Nest Thermostat, Google Home app: your thermostat, then Settings, then Temperature Preferences.
Nest app: Settings, your thermostat, then Heat Pump Balance.
On a thermostat with a ring: press the ring for Quick View, then Settings, Nest Sense, Heat Pump Balance.

The thermostat must be on Wi-Fi. Google's configuration guide explains why: Nest thermostats do not support an outdoor temperature sensor, so they read the outdoor temperature from local weather data over Wi-Fi.

What happens when you turn it off?

With Heat Pump Balance off, the thermostat follows lockout values set by hand. On the Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen), turning it off also opens Advanced configuration, where Google's help article defines three more controls. Google's heat pump configuration guide gives their factory values:

Nest manual heat pump settings for heat pumps with AUX heat
Setting	What it means	Default and range
Auxiliary Lockout Temp	AUX may run only below this outdoor temperature	40°F by default; 0 to 70°F, Always or Never
Aux Upstage Timer	Longest time the system tries to reach the target before AUX is allowed	90 minutes by default; 30 minutes to 12 hours
Droop	How far below the target the room must fall before AUX is used	0°F by default; 0 to 5°F
Minimum Delay	Shortest time after a heating cycle starts before AUX can join	15 minutes by default; 15, 30, 45 or 60 minutes
Compressor Lockout	Outdoor temperature below which the heat pump compressor is locked out	Minus 25°F by default; minus 25 to 32°F, or Always

From Google's Nest Thermostats Heat Pump Configuration Guide, which covers the Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen) and the Nest Thermostat. The guide gives a default droop of 0°F on the 4th gen and 1°F on the Nest Thermostat. Google says Advanced configuration is on the 4th gen only.

Google's help article uses 40°F as its example: with that lockout, AUX heat comes on when it is below 40°F outside. That matches the guide's factory value. These are installer level controls, and most people are better served by one of the three presets.

Why can't some systems use Heat Pump Balance?

Dual fuel systems are excluded. Google defines them as a heat pump outside plus a separate heater inside, and in its configuration guide calls that backup "Alternate Heat", which never runs while the heat pump is heating. For those systems the lockout is set by hand as a "Dual Fuel Breakpoint", which defaults to 30°F with a range of 10 to 50°F. On a Nest Thermostat E set up for dual fuel, Google says the screen shows "Alt heat" rather than AUX.

Forced air systems without a heat pump get Early-On instead, and radiant systems get True Radiant. If you have a heat pump and the option is still missing, the thermostat may not be set up as one; the system type setting explains why that matters.

How do you tell if your choice is working?

Watch how often AUX shows on the screen in mild weather. If it appears for long stretches when it is not cold, why a thermostat shows AUX walks through the usual causes, including morning setback recovery. For the same idea on other brands, see ecobee's "Aux Heat Max Outdoor Temperature" setting. Every Nest heat pump topic is collected on the Google Nest hub.

Frequently asked questions

Which Heat Pump Balance setting should I pick?: Pick by what bothers you more. Max Comfort reaches your temperature sooner but uses AUX more often. Max Savings uses AUX as little as possible, so the house may take longer to warm up on cold mornings. Balanced sits between them, and you can change it any time.
Why does my Nest still use AUX heat on Max Savings?: Google says that how much AUX heat you use ultimately depends on your system. Some systems need AUX to keep heating in cold weather even on Max Savings. Defrost cycles can also bring AUX on briefly.
Why is Heat Pump Balance missing on my Nest?: Google lists three reasons: the system has no heat pump, the heat pump has no AUX heat, or it is a dual fuel system. A thermostat that is not set up as a heat pump will not show it either. Google says to contact a local professional if you think the setup is wrong.
Does Heat Pump Balance work without Wi-Fi?: No. Google says the thermostat must be connected to Wi-Fi to use it, because Nest thermostats get the outdoor temperature from local weather data. Without Wi-Fi you can use Early-On, but the thermostat will not take specific steps to avoid AUX heat.