Smart thermostats are gaining in popularity as more and more homeowners seek out ways to cut down on their energy costs. These systems can be programmed to automatically maintain the temperature at home based on your daily schedule. They also have the capacity to learn any preferences over time. For this reason, you can cut costs on your energy bills by ensuring that your home is only heated or cooled when you need it.
Google’s smart thermostat is the Nest, and lots of homeowners are delighted with its features and overall efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–might be causing trouble rather than helping your HVAC system. Constant issues are driving homeowners to learn how to disable this feature. We’ll present the issues some people are having with Seasonal Savings and provide instructions for how to opt out of the setting.
Many Homeowners Argue the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Like It Should
Google designed the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners boost their energy efficiency. During peak HVAC use in the summer and winter, it will automatically adjust the thermostat to balance 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 taking part in the program.
Alternatively, there are accounts that the program is contradictory and frustrating to use. Homeowners are concerned that the program is even 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 difficult to find or downright missing. In many cases people have even observed it being switched back on after it was disabled.
Smart thermostats are expected to increase the efficiency of your heating and cooling. While automatic temperature adjustments are a widespread feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t bypass your favored settings. If the Nest refuses to accommodate your comfort preferences, opting out of the Seasonal Savings program is the right move.
But First, Why Is This Going On?
Homeowners are complaining that the Seasonal Savings setting was activated on their Nest thermostat without their authorization. Why can a smart thermostat you control ignore your settings and enroll in the program? It might be because of an energy-efficiency program you registered for with your utility company.
These agreements help you improve your home’s energy efficiency. They will sometimes come with rebates on new accessories or special offers for renewable energy products. But many people are surprised to hear they also permit your utility company remote access to the thermostat. If the power grid is under a heavy load, the utility company can take over your thermostat and adjust the temperature. You may be having trouble with the Seasonal Savings program due to the fact that a utility company is taking advantage of this remote access.
But what if the program is defective or just ignoring your preferences? Whatever the reason might be, you don’t want a feature to increase your energy use without your approval. We’ll walk you through how other people have opted out of the Seasonal Savings program.
How to Disable Your Nest Thermostat’s Seasonal Savings Feature
A number of people have documented trouble disabling the Seasonal Savings feature. While the location of this setting could be different depending on your specific Nest model, other users are worried that Google is purposely making it more difficult to disable Seasonal Savings. To make sure 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 many users have observed this isn’t what's happening. If you observe your Nest consistently ignoring your changes, you’ll probably opt to shut off the feature completely.
- Opting out of the setting from the Nest app: Your phone or tablet’s Nest app ought to have a History option and a Settings option. Google points users to their History to disable Seasonal Savings, but other users have located this option under Settings. Once disabled, the feature is temporarily off until the following 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 many homeowners state the disable option is not there.
- Opting out before the program launches: The Seasonal Savings program is only obtainable during summer and winter. Your smart device will receive a notification when the program is about to start, offering you the chance to opt out.
When Seasonal Savings is live, your Nest should feature a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If a Nest is having issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is not visible, your problem might be with yet another setting entirely.
Sometimes the Problem Isn’t Seasonal Savings but a Different Setting or Program
Different options on Nest smart thermostats apart from Seasonal Savings can result in counterintuitive temperature changes. If these features are active during Seasonal Savings, even opting out of the program may not deter the thermostat from making adjustments. Thankfully, these settings can be disabled. You’ll also have options if the problem 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 ability to study your preferences to set the perfect schedule. Going into Settings and switching off Auto-Schedule should stop other automatic controls including Seasonal Savings.
- Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats may still flip to eco temperatures if you possess an auto-switching feature like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These features automatically regulate the temperature when the thermostat detects that no one is home.
- Leaving the utility company’s energy agreement: Considering your energy provider may be remotely controlling a Nest thermostat, negating the agreement should get rid of unwanted access. You can locate the full details of these agreements from your energy provider.
- Calling Google support: If nothing else works, reaching out to Google’s technical support could be of assistance. Staff can direct you to resetting the Nest or locating the appropriate setting to disable Seasonal Savings.
If the Problem Continues, Your Thermostat May Be Malfunctioning
There’s always the risk your Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical issues or software glitches can result in all sorts of trouble, including an inconsistent Seasonal Savings program. If you believe the problem is isolated to your specific thermostat, a seasoned technician might be able to help. After all, smart thermostats remain a worthwhile investment for your home’s energy efficiency.
If you need local service for your smart thermostat in Fort Myers, get in touch with the comfort experts at Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning. They can help you find the best way to shut off an uncooperative Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.