Smart thermostats are gaining in popularity as more and more homeowners search for ways to lower their energy expenses. These devices can be programmed to conveniently maintain the temperature at home according to your daily schedule. They also have the means to study these preferences over time. For this reason, you can save money on your energy bills by making sure that your comfort system is only running when you need it.
Google’s smart thermostat is the Nest, and plenty of homeowners are delighted with its features and overall efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–could be making trouble rather than improving your HVAC system. Consistent issues are pushing homeowners to look for how to disable this feature. We’ll share the concerns some people are having with Seasonal Savings and offer instructions for how to opt out of the feature.
Many Homeowners Argue the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Correctly
Google designed the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners increase their energy efficiency. During peak HVAC use in the summer and winter, it should automatically adjust the thermostat to satisfy your preferences with energy efficiency. The program is expected to run without disrupting your sense of comfort, setting up the biggest changes when you’re away or in bed. However, this isn’t the case for lots of people enrolled in the program.
Alternatively, there are claims that the program is contradictory and annoying to use. Homeowners are concerned that the program is even increasing their energy bills instead of lowering them. And when they attempt to disable or opt out of Seasonal Savings, they’ve found the way to do so is difficult to find or entirely absent. In several cases people have even observed it being turned back on after it was disabled.
Smart thermostats are supposed to enhance the efficiency of your HVAC equipment. While automatic temperature changes are a popular feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t overrule your preferred settings. If a Nest refuses to accommodate your comfort preferences, disabling the Seasonal Savings option is the right move.
But First, Why Is This Going On?
Homeowners are claiming that the Seasonal Savings program was started on their Nest thermostat without their consent. Why should a smart thermostat you command overlook your settings and enroll in the program? It may be because of an energy-efficiency program you subscribed to with a utility company.
These agreements help you increase your home’s energy efficiency. They may come with rebates on new accessories or special promotions for renewable energy products. But most people are shocked to hear they also allow your utility company remote access to your thermostat. If the power grid is experiencing a heavy load, the utility company can override your thermostat and change the temperature. You may be having issues with the Seasonal Savings program because a utility company is utilizing this remote access.
But what if the feature is malfunctioning 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 users have disabled the Seasonal Savings program.
How to Disable Your Nest Thermostat’s Seasonal Savings Feature
A number of people have reported trouble shutting off the Seasonal Savings feature. While the location of this setting might be different based on your specific Nest model, other users are worried that Google is deliberately making it harder to disable Seasonal Savings. To make sure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll include the ways other users have had success.
- Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually changing the temperature should overrule the Seasonal Savings program, but many users have observed this isn’t the case. If you see your Nest persistently reversing your changes, you’ll probably opt to disable the feature entirely.
- Disabling the feature from the Nest app: Your phone or tablet’s Nest app ought to have a History option and a Settings option. Google guides users to their History to switch off Seasonal Savings, but other people have found this option within Settings. Once disabled, the feature is temporarily off until the next summer or winter.
- Shutting off the program from the Nest thermostat: Your thermostat should also possess a History option where you can turn off Seasonal Savings, but some homeowners report the disable option is missing.
- Opting out before the program starts: The Seasonal Savings program is only available during summer and winter. Your smart device will receive a notification when the program is about to start, giving you the time to opt out.
When Seasonal Savings is engaged, your Nest will display a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If your Nest is having issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is absent, your predicament may be with yet another setting entirely.
Sometimes the Issue Isn’t Seasonal Savings but a Different Setting or Program
Different features on Nest smart thermostats besides Seasonal Savings can lead to automatic temperature changes. If these features are active during Seasonal Savings, even disabling the program may not keep the thermostat from making adjustments. Fortunately, these settings can be turned off. You’ll also have options if the issue is a third party like the power company.
- Shutting off Auto-Schedule: The Nest Thermostat E and Nest Learning Thermostat both extend the Auto-Schedule feature, using their capability to learn your preferences to set the ideal schedule. Going into Settings and switching off Auto-Schedule should stop other automatic controls such as Seasonal Savings.
- Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats will still flip to eco temperatures if you have an auto-switching setting like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These settings automatically control 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 could be remotely controlling your Nest thermostat, negating the agreement should remove their access. You can obtain the full details of these agreements via your energy provider.
- Contacting Google support: If all else fails, reaching out to Google’s technical support may be of assistance. Staff can lead you to resetting the Nest or finding the appropriate setting to disable Seasonal Savings.
If the Problem Continues, Your Thermostat Might Be Malfunctioning
There’s always the chance your Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical damage or software bugs can trigger all sorts of problems, including an aggravating Seasonal Savings program. If you think the problem is isolated to your personal thermostat, an experienced technician might be able to help. After all, smart thermostats are still a worthwhile investment for your home’s energy efficiency.
If you’d like local service for your smart thermostat in Birmingham, call the heating and cooling professionals at Norrell Service Experts. They can help you figure out the ideal way to disable an uncooperative Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.