Smart thermostats are increasing in popularity as more and more homeowners search for ways to scale back their energy bills. These devices can be programmed to automatically adjust the temperature at home in line with your weekly schedule. They also have the ability to study comfort preferences over time. For this reason, you can make big savings on your energy bills by making sure that your home is only heated or cooled when you need it.
Google’s smart thermostat is the Nest, and plenty of homeowners are content with its features and all-around efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–might be causing trouble instead of helping your HVAC system. Persistent issues are pushing homeowners to figure out how to shut off this feature. We’ll share the trouble some people are having with Seasonal Savings and provide instructions for how to opt out of the feature.
Many Homeowners Say the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Correctly
Google designed the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners improve their energy efficiency. Around the highest HVAC use in the summer and winter, it is supposed to automatically adjust the thermostat to satisfy 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. However, this isn’t the case for numerous people taking part in the program.
In fact, there are accounts that the program is contradictory and annoying to use. Homeowners are noticing 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 option to do so is difficult to find or outright missing. In some cases people have even noted it being flipped back on after it was disabled.
Smart thermostats are supposed to enhance the efficiency of your heating and cooling. While automatic temperature adjustments are a common feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t overrule your preferred settings. If a Nest refuses to accommodate your comfort preferences, opting out of the Seasonal Savings feature is the correct move.
But First, Why Is This Happening?
Homeowners are complaining that the Seasonal Savings setting was activated on their Nest thermostat without their authorization. Why would a smart thermostat you control ignore your settings and enroll in the program? It could be because of an energy-efficiency agreement you subscribed to with a utility company.
These agreements help you boost your home’s energy efficiency. They will sometimes come with rebates on new products or special promotions for renewable energy products. But most people are alarmed to learn they also allow your utility company remote access to the thermostat. If the power grid is struggling with a heavy load, the utility company can take control of your thermostat and raise the temperature. You could be having trouble with the Seasonal Savings program due to the fact that a utility company is making use of this remote access.
But what if the setting 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 take you step-by-step through 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 documented trouble disabling the Seasonal Savings feature. While the location of this setting could be different based on your specific Nest model, other users are worried that Google is purposely making it harder to turn off 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 changing the temperature should override the Seasonal Savings program, but quite a few users have discovered this isn’t what's happening. If you see your Nest consistently reversing your changes, you’ll probably want to disable the feature entirely.
- Disabling the setting from the Nest app: Your phone or tablet’s Nest app ought 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 within Settings. Once disabled, the setting is temporarily off until the following summer or winter.
- Stopping the program from the Nest thermostat: Your thermostat should also possess a History option where you can opt out of Seasonal Savings, but some homeowners state the disable option is absent.
- Opting out before the program launches: The Seasonal Savings program is only accessible in summer and winter. Your smart device is supposed to be sent a notification when the program is about to start, giving you the chance to opt out.
When Seasonal Savings is live, your Nest should show a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If the Nest is having issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is missing, your problem may be with a different setting entirely.
Sometimes the Source Isn’t Seasonal Savings but a Different Setting or Program
Alternative features on Nest smart thermostats besides Seasonal Savings can lead to counterintuitive temperature changes. If these options are active during Seasonal Savings, even disabling the program may not stop 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 ability to learn your preferences to set the perfect schedule. Going into Settings and shutting off Auto-Schedule should stop other automatic changes such as Seasonal Savings.
- Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats will still switch to eco temperatures if you use an auto-switching function like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These features automatically regulate the temperature when the thermostat assumes that no one is home.
- Leaving the utility company’s energy agreement: Since your energy provider might be remotely controlling the Nest thermostat, negating the agreement should take away unwanted access. You can find the full details of these agreements through your energy provider.
- Contacting Google support: If everything else fails, calling Google’s technical support may be of assistance. Staff can steer you to resetting the Nest or locating the proper setting to shut off Seasonal Savings.
If the Problem Persists, Your Thermostat Might Be Defective
There’s always the chance a Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical problems or software bugs can result in all sorts of problems, including an inconsistent Seasonal Savings program. If you suspect the problem is isolated to your own thermostat, an experienced technician will be able to help. After all, smart thermostats are still a valuable investment for your home’s energy efficiency.
If you need local support for your smart thermostat in Mobile, get in touch with the heating and cooling specialists at Climate Control Service Experts. They can help you determine the best way to stop an uncooperative Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.