Smart thermostats are growing in popularity as more and more homeowners search for ways to scale back their energy bills. These systems can be programmed to efficiently maintain the temperature in your home based on your day-to-day schedule. They also have the means to learn your preferences over time. As a result, you can save money on your energy bills by making sure that your HVAC system is only on when you need it.
Google’s smart thermostat is the Nest, and plenty of homeowners are satisfied with its features and all-around efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–could be stirring up trouble as opposed to assisting your HVAC system. Frequent issues are driving homeowners to figure out how to disable this feature. We’ll share the issues some people are having with Seasonal Savings and include instructions for how to opt out of the feature.
Many Homeowners Claim the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Well
Google designed the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners improve their energy efficiency. During maximum HVAC use in the summer and winter, it will automatically adjust the thermostat to balance your preferences with energy efficiency. The program is intended to run without getting in the way of your sense of comfort, setting up the biggest changes when you’re away or asleep. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for many people participating in the program.
Alternatively, there are reports that the program is sporadic and annoying to use. Homeowners are noticing that the program is even increasing their energy bills instead of shrinking them. And when they attempt to disable or opt out of Seasonal Savings, they’ve noticed the way to do so is hard to find or entirely missing. In some cases people have even observed it being turned back on after it was disabled.
Smart thermostats are intended to improve the efficiency of your HVAC equipment. While automatic temperature changes are a common feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t ignore your desired settings. If a Nest refuses to accommodate your comfort preferences, disabling the Seasonal Savings feature is the right move.
But First, Why Is This Happening?
Homeowners are noticing that the Seasonal Savings feature was running on their Nest thermostat without their approval. Why should a smart thermostat you operate neglect your settings and enroll in the program? It could be because of an energy-efficiency program you subscribed to with a utility company.
These agreements help you enhance your home’s energy efficiency. They can feature rebates on new accessories or special offers for renewable energy products. But lots of people are surprised to find out they also grant your utility company remote access to your thermostat. If the power grid is experiencing a heavy load, the utility company can control your thermostat and turn up the temperature. You may well be having issues with the Seasonal Savings program due to the fact that a utility company is utilizing this remote access.
But what if the program is defective or just disregarding your preferences? Whatever the reason could be, you don’t want a feature to increase your energy use without your permission. We’ll walk you through how other people have turned off the Seasonal Savings program.
How to Disable Your Nest Thermostat’s Seasonal Savings Feature
A number of people have reported trouble disabling the Seasonal Savings feature. While the location of this setting could be different according to your specific Nest model, other users are concerned that Google is purposely making it harder to turn off Seasonal Savings. To ensure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll list the ways other users have found success.
- Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually setting the temperature should outrank the Seasonal Savings program, but quite a few users have found this isn’t entirely accurate. If you notice your Nest constantly ignoring your changes, you’ll probably prefer to disable the feature outright.
- Shutting off the setting from the Nest app: Your phone or tablet’s Nest app is supposed to have a History option and a Settings option. Google directs users to their History to turn off Seasonal Savings, but other people have found this option under Settings. Once disabled, the program is temporarily off until the subsequent summer or winter.
- Stopping the program from the Nest thermostat: Your thermostat should also have a History option where you can opt out of Seasonal Savings, but many homeowners state the disable option is not there.
- Opting out before the program starts: The Seasonal Savings program is only available during summer and winter. Your smart device should be sent a notification when the program is about to launch, giving you the opportunity to opt out.
When Seasonal Savings is active, your Nest should feature a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If the Nest is struggling with issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is missing, your trouble might be with yet another setting entirely.
Sometimes the Source Isn’t Seasonal Savings but Another Setting or Program
Alternative settings on Nest smart thermostats aside from Seasonal Savings can result in counterintuitive temperature changes. If these features are active during Seasonal Savings, even disabling the program may not keep the thermostat from making changes. Fortunately, these settings can be turned off. You’ll also have options if the headache is a third party like the power company.
- Turning off Auto-Schedule: The Nest Thermostat E and Nest Learning Thermostat both offer the Auto-Schedule feature, using their capability to study your preferences to set the ideal schedule. Going into Settings and switching off Auto-Schedule should stop other automatic changes like Seasonal Savings.
- Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats might still flip to eco temperatures if you have an auto-switching setting like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These features automatically adjust the temperature when the thermostat assumes that everyone is out of the house.
- Opting out of the utility company’s energy agreement: Since your energy provider may be remotely controlling your Nest thermostat, opting out of the agreement should take away their access. You can obtain the full details of these agreements through your energy provider.
- Contacting Google support: If all else fails, contacting Google’s technical support may be of service. Staff can point you to resetting the Nest or determining the correct setting to turn off Seasonal Savings.
If the Problem Persists, Your Thermostat Might Be Defective
There’s always the possibility the Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical issues or software glitches can result in all kinds of issues, including an inconsistent Seasonal Savings program. If you think the problem is isolated to your specific thermostat, a knowledgeable technician might be able to help. After all, smart thermostats continue to be a beneficial investment for your home’s energy efficiency.
If you need local service for your smart thermostat in Columbus, call the heating and cooling experts at Stevenson Service Experts. They can help you determine the easiest way to shut off a stubborn Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.