Smart thermostats are growing in popularity as more and more homeowners search for ways to lower their energy expenses. These systems can be programmed to automatically adjust the temperature inside your home based on your daily schedule. They also have the ability to memorize these 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 numerous homeowners are pleased with its features and all-around efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–may be making trouble instead of improving your HVAC system. Frequent issues are forcing homeowners to research how to disable this feature. We’ll share the trouble some people are having with Seasonal Savings and offer instructions for how to opt out of the feature.
Many Homeowners Say the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Correctly
Google built the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners enhance their energy efficiency. For maximum HVAC use in the summer and winter, it will automatically adjust the thermostat to satisfy your preferences with energy efficiency. The program is expected to run without disrupting your sense of comfort, implementing the biggest changes when you’re away or sleeping. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for lots of people enrolled in the program.
Alternatively, there are claims that the program is sporadic and annoying to use. Homeowners are noticing that the program is really increasing their energy bills instead of reducing them. And when they try to disable or opt out of Seasonal Savings, they’ve found the way to do so is hard to find or outright absent. In some cases people have even observed it being switched back on after it was disabled.
Smart thermostats are expected to boost the efficiency of your HVAC equipment. While automatic temperature changes are a common feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t override your desired settings. If your Nest refuses to accommodate your comfort preferences, disabling the Seasonal Savings feature is the best move.
But First, Why Is This A Problem?
Homeowners are noticing that the Seasonal Savings feature was running on their Nest thermostat without their permission. Why can a smart thermostat you control ignore your settings and opt in for the program? It might be because of an energy-efficiency agreement you signed up for with a utility company.
These agreements help you improve your home’s energy efficiency. They may include rebates on new equipment or special offers for renewable energy systems. But lots of 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 control your thermostat and turn up the temperature. You could be having issues with the Seasonal Savings program due to the fact that a utility company is making use of this remote access.
But what if the feature is faulty or just dismissing your preferences? Whatever the reason may be, you don’t want a feature to raise your energy use without your permission. We’ll share how other people have shut off 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 may be different based on your specific Nest model, other users are concerned that Google is purposely making it more difficult to turn off Seasonal Savings. To ensure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll include the ways other users have enjoyed success.
- Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually setting the temperature should override the Seasonal Savings program, but many users have discovered this isn’t what's happening. If you see your Nest consistently undoing your changes, you’ll probably prefer to disable the feature completely.
- 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 guides users to their History to turn off Seasonal Savings, but other people have discovered this option under Settings. Once disabled, the feature is temporarily off until the subsequent summer or winter.
- Shutting off the program from the Nest thermostat: Your thermostat should also feature a History option where you can disable Seasonal Savings, but some homeowners state the disable option is gone.
- Opting out before the program starts: The Seasonal Savings program is only available during summer and winter. Your smart device will get a notification when the program is about to launch, offering you the time to opt out.
When Seasonal Savings is live, your Nest is supposed to feature a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If the Nest is experiencing issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is missing, your problem may be with another setting entirely.
Sometimes the Source Isn’t Seasonal Savings but a Different Setting or Program
Other settings on Nest smart thermostats apart from Seasonal Savings can result in unwanted temperature changes. If these features are active during Seasonal Savings, even shutting off the program may not keep the thermostat from making changes. Fortunately, these settings can be switched off. You’ll also have options if the headache is a third party like your power company.
- Switching 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 best possible schedule. Going into Settings and switching off Auto-Schedule should stop other automatic adjustments like Seasonal Savings.
- Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats can still swap to eco temperatures if you use an auto-switching function like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These settings automatically adjust the temperature when the thermostat assumes that no one is around.
- Opting out of the utility company’s energy agreement: Considering your energy provider could be remotely controlling the Nest thermostat, cancelling the agreement should remove their access. You can obtain the full details of these agreements from your energy provider.
- Contacting Google support: If nothing else works, reaching out to Google’s technical support could be of service. Staff can lead you to resetting the Nest or locating the appropriate setting to switch off Seasonal Savings.
If the Problem Persists, Your Thermostat Might Be Defective
There’s always the chance the Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical damage or software bugs can trigger all kinds of problems, including an obnoxious Seasonal Savings program. If you believe the problem is isolated to your own thermostat, a skilled technician might be able to help. After all, smart thermostats continue to be a valuable investment for your home’s energy efficiency.
If you prefer local assistance for your smart thermostat in Kingwood, call the HVAC experts at Finch Air Conditioning & Heating. They can help you figure out the ideal way to switch off an uncooperative Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.