Smart thermostats are gaining in popularity as more and more homeowners look for ways to reduce their energy bills. These devices can be programmed to automatically adjust the temperature in your home according to your daily schedule. They also have the capacity to memorize your preferences over time. For this reason, you can save money on your energy bills by seeing to it that your HVAC system is only on when you need it.
Google’s smart thermostat is the Nest, and many homeowners are satisfied with its features and general efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–could be making trouble instead of helping your HVAC system. Persistent issues are driving homeowners to find out how to disable this feature. We’ll share the issues some people are having with Seasonal Savings and offer instructions for how to opt out of the setting.
Many Homeowners Say the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Well
Google built the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners increase their energy efficiency. During the highest HVAC use in the summer and winter, it should automatically adjust the thermostat to match your preferences with energy efficiency. The program is expected to run without interrupting your sense of comfort, making the biggest changes when you’re away or sleeping. Sadly, this isn’t the case for many people participating in the program.
Alternatively, there are claims that the program is contradictory and frustrating to use. Homeowners are complaining that the program is actually increasing their energy bills instead of shrinking them. And when they try to disable or opt out of Seasonal Savings, they’ve discovered the option to do so is tough to find or entirely absent. In many cases people have even noticed it being turned back on after it was disabled.
Smart thermostats are intended to strengthen the efficiency of your HVAC system. While automatic temperature changes are a widespread feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t bypass your favored settings. If the Nest refuses to accommodate your comfort preferences, shutting off the Seasonal Savings feature is the best move.
But First, Why Is This Going On?
Homeowners are noticing that the Seasonal Savings program was started on their Nest thermostat without their consent. Why should a smart thermostat you control dismiss your settings and enroll in the program? It could be because of an energy-efficiency agreement you registered for with your utility company.
These agreements help you increase your home’s energy efficiency. They can offer rebates on new equipment or special discounts for renewable energy equipment. But many people are alarmed to learn they also permit your utility company remote access to your thermostat. If the power grid is struggling with a heavy load, the utility company can take over your thermostat and raise the temperature. You may well be having problems with the Seasonal Savings program because a utility company is utilizing this remote access.
But what if the feature is defective or just disregarding your preferences? Whatever the reason may be, you don’t want a feature to increase your energy use without your consent. We’ll review how other users 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 might be different based on your specific Nest model, other users are alarmed that Google is deliberately making it harder to opt out of Seasonal Savings. To ensure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll describe the ways other users have enjoyed success.
- Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually changing the temperature should override the Seasonal Savings program, but quite a few users have observed this isn’t what's happening. If you notice your Nest constantly reversing your changes, you’ll probably want to disable the feature completely.
- Shutting off the program 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 located 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 feature a History option where you can disable Seasonal Savings, but some homeowners report the disable option is not there.
- Opting out before the program launches: The Seasonal Savings program is only accessible in summer and winter. Your smart device will receive a notification when the program is about to begin, allowing you the time to opt out.
When Seasonal Savings is running, your Nest is supposed to feature a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If a Nest is experiencing issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is missing, your problem could be with another setting entirely.
Sometimes the Problem Isn’t Seasonal Savings but Another Setting or Program
Different settings on Nest smart thermostats aside from Seasonal Savings can cause automatic temperature changes. If these options are active during Seasonal Savings, even opting out of the program may not prevent the thermostat from making changes. Fortunately, these settings can be disabled. You’ll also have options if the problem is a third party like a power company.
- Shutting off Auto-Schedule: The Nest Thermostat E and Nest Learning Thermostat both offer the Auto-Schedule feature, using their capacity to study your preferences to set the ideal schedule. Going into Settings and switching off Auto-Schedule should prevent other automatic controls including Seasonal Savings.
- Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats may still swap to eco temperatures if you use an auto-switching feature like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These functions automatically adjust the temperature when the thermostat assumes that the house is empty.
- Opting out of the utility company’s energy agreement: Because your energy provider might be remotely controlling the Nest thermostat, nullifying the agreement should remove remote access. You can find the complete details of these agreements through your energy provider.
- Reaching out to Google support: If all else fails, reaching out to Google’s technical support could be of help. Staff can guide you to resetting the Nest or locating the proper setting to disable Seasonal Savings.
If the Problem Continues, Your Thermostat May Be Defective
There’s always the possibility your Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical problems or software glitches can trigger all kinds of trouble, 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 are still a valuable investment for your home’s energy efficiency.
If you need local service for your smart thermostat in Hillsborough, contact the heating and cooling specialists at Fras-Air/General Service Experts. They can help you determine the best way to switch off a stubborn Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.