The quick answer: the Nest Thermostat E is discontinued. Google stopped selling it new years ago, and there’s no indication it’s coming back. If you’re trying to decide between the Nest E and the Nest Learning Thermostat, that decision is already made for you: the E isn’t an option anymore. Your real choice today is between the Nest Learning Thermostat (~$329 CAD) and the newer, cheaper Nest Thermostat (~$149 CAD), and for cold-climate homes, one of those two is the better pick.

This page covers what the E was, why it still turns up in search results and old buying guides, and which current Nest model actually handles a Canadian or northern-US winter better.

What the Nest E Was, and Why People Still Search For It

The Nest Thermostat E launched in 2017 as a lower-cost alternative to the original Nest Learning Thermostat: same brains, cheaper housing. Instead of the Learning Thermostat’s metal ring and sharp colour display, the E used a plastic frosted-lens display with a softer, less detailed look. It supported auto-scheduling, geofencing, and most of the core Nest feature set at a lower price point.

Google discontinued the E to simplify the lineup, and it hasn’t been sold new since. It still shows up in comparison articles, old retailer listings, and search suggestions because writers produced so much content about it while it was current. Search engines and shoppers haven’t caught up to the fact that it’s gone. If you’re seeing “Nest E” recommended somewhere today, treat that as a sign the source is outdated, not a sign the product is still buyable.

You may still find one used or in clearance: a family member’s old unit, a listing on a marketplace, a leftover box at a small retailer. It’s not unsafe to install one if you land on a working unit, but you won’t get a warranty, and Google’s long-term software support commitment to an eight-year-old discontinued model is not something to plan around.

What Replaced It: Today’s Two-Model Nest Lineup

Google’s current thermostat lineup is just two models. There is no direct E replacement, because the lineup collapsed rather than substituted:

Nest Learning Thermostat (~$329 CAD): the flagship. Colour display, auto-schedule learning, Farsight, power harvesting (no C-wire needed in most homes), works with Alexa and Google Home. No Apple HomeKit. ENERGY STAR certified. 2-year warranty.

Nest Thermostat (~$149 CAD): the budget model, sometimes still called the “Nest Thermostat (2020)” in older writeups to distinguish it from the Learning Thermostat. Simpler display, still Wi-Fi connected, still no C-wire required, still Alexa and Google Home compatible, still no HomeKit. ENERGY STAR certified. 2-year warranty.

Neither one is a direct swap-in for the E’s price point: the budget Nest Thermostat is cheaper than the E was, and the Learning Thermostat is a step up in both price and features. Google didn’t replace the E model-for-model. It replaced the tier the E occupied with a cheaper, simpler product.

Nest Learning vs Nest Thermostat for Cold Climates

For homes dealing with real winter (Prairie cold snaps, Northern Ontario, most of Quebec outside Montreal, anywhere below -20°C), the two current Nest models aren’t equivalent, and the gap matters more here than it does in a mild climate.

Auto-scheduling and deep setbacks. The Learning Thermostat builds a schedule from your manual adjustments over the first one to two weeks and keeps refining it. That matters in cold climates because the safe range for a deep overnight or away setback is narrower: you want a thermostat that tracks your patterns and recovery times, instead of following a static schedule you set once in October and forgot. The budget Nest Thermostat supports manual scheduling and a simplified savings feature, but it does not build the same kind of adaptive, learned schedule. Verify current app behaviour before you buy, since Google has adjusted feature parity between the two models over time.

Built-in occupancy sensing. Both Nest models have built-in ambient sensors (temperature, some motion/occupancy detection near the unit) that drive Home/Away Assist, pulling the temperature back when the house is empty. This differs from ecobee’s add-on room sensors: neither Nest model offers add-on remote sensors for other rooms. The Learning Thermostat’s occupancy detection integrates with its auto-schedule logic, though, which is the piece that matters for a deep winter setback that still recovers to a comfortable temperature by the time you’re home or awake.

Recovery and multi-stage support. The Learning Thermostat has a longer track record with multi-stage furnaces and heat pump setups that many cold-climate homes rely on for backup or auxiliary heat. If your system has two-stage heat, confirm wiring compatibility for either model using Google’s compatibility checker before buying. This isn’t unique to cold climates, but it’s more likely to matter there.

Bottom line for winter: the Nest Learning Thermostat is the safer pick for homes doing real cold-weather setbacks, thanks to its auto-scheduling and longer feature track record. The Nest Thermostat is a reasonable choice if your winters are mild-to-moderate and you want basic Wi-Fi control at a lower price.

Current Nest lineup for cold-climate homes: Nest Learning vs Nest Thermostat

If Apple HomeKit matters to you at all, note that neither current Nest model supports it. That’s true regardless of climate, and it’s the reason a lot of Canadian buyers end up comparing Nest against ecobee instead. See Nest vs ecobee: Which Should You Buy? for that comparison.

What to Do If You Already Own a Nest E

If you’ve got a working Nest E installed, there’s no urgent reason to replace it. It still connects to Wi-Fi, still runs through the Google Home app, and still does its job. A few practical notes:

  • Software support isn’t guaranteed indefinitely. Google hasn’t published a hard end-of-life date for the E’s app support as of this writing. Verify current status in the Google Home app or Google’s support pages before assuming anything, but plan for the reality that support for a discontinued eight-year-old device won’t last forever.
  • Replacement parts and accessories are limited. If your E’s display, wiring adapter, or trim plate fails, you may not find an exact replacement. You’d be shopping for a full swap to a current model instead.
  • Basic troubleshooting first. Most “my Nest E stopped working” problems are Wi-Fi, power, or app-account issues, not hardware failure. Try re-pairing the app, checking your router’s 2.4GHz band (older Nest devices are picky about this), and confirming the thermostat has stable power before assuming it’s dead.
  • When it does fail, the direct upgrade path is the Nest Learning Thermostat if you want to stay closest to the E’s original feature set and price tier, or the budget Nest Thermostat if you want basic smart control back online at a lower cost.

For a full breakdown of both current models, see Google Nest Thermostat Review (Learning & Nest).

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Nest Thermostat E still available to buy new?
No. Google discontinued the Nest Thermostat E and it has not been sold new for several years. Any “in stock” listing you find is either old inventory, a marketplace resale, or an error. Verify with the retailer before ordering.

What’s the difference between the Nest E and the Nest Learning Thermostat?
The E used a plastic frosted-lens display and was positioned as a cheaper alternative to the Learning Thermostat’s metal-and-glass design. Feature-wise they were close. The E is discontinued; the Learning Thermostat is the current flagship model and the closer of today’s two options to what the E used to be.

Which current Nest thermostat is best for cold Canadian winters?
The Nest Learning Thermostat, because of its more mature auto-scheduling and longer track record with multi-stage and heat-pump systems, which matter more when you’re managing deep overnight or away setbacks in real cold.

Can I still get support for a Nest Thermostat E I already own?
Basic app connectivity and Google Home support have continued for existing E units, but Google hasn’t committed to indefinite support for a discontinued model. Verify current status in the Google Home app before relying on it long-term, and don’t expect replacement hardware parts to be available.

Does either current Nest thermostat support Apple HomeKit?
No. Neither the Nest Learning Thermostat nor the budget Nest Thermostat supports Apple HomeKit, and neither did the discontinued Nest E. If HomeKit matters to you, ecobee is the option to look at instead.

Should I buy a used Nest E instead of a new current-model Nest?
No, in most cases. A used E has no warranty, uncertain remaining lifespan, and support that isn’t guaranteed to continue. Unless the price difference is large, a new Nest Thermostat (~$149) or Nest Learning Thermostat (~$329) is the safer buy.