Smart thermostats are increasing in popularity as more and more homeowners look for ways to cut down on their energy expenses. These systems can be programmed to efficiently maintain the temperature of your home according to your regular schedule. They also have the ability to study any preferences over time. For this reason, you can spend less on your energy bills by seeing to it that your comfort system is only running when you need it.
Google’s smart thermostat is the Nest, and lots of homeowners are content with its features and overall efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–could be stirring up trouble instead of assisting your HVAC system. Consistent issues are driving homeowners to find out how to shut off this feature. We’ll review 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 Well
Google developed the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners improve their energy efficiency. Around 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 disrupting your sense of comfort, making the biggest changes when you’re away or asleep. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for many people enrolled in the program.
Alternatively, there are reports that the program is inconsistent and irritating to use. Homeowners are concerned that the program is actually increasing their energy bills instead of reducing them. And when they attempt to disable or opt out of Seasonal Savings, they’ve discovered the setting to do so is difficult to find or just missing. In various cases people have even noticed it being turned back on after it was disabled.
Smart thermostats are intended to increase the efficiency of your HVAC system. While automatic temperature adjustments are a widespread feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t override your desired settings. If the Nest isn't meeting your comfort preferences, disabling the Seasonal Savings option is the right move.
But First, Why Is This Going On?
Homeowners are complaining that the Seasonal Savings program was activated on their Nest thermostat without their authorization. Why can a smart thermostat you control dismiss your settings and activate the program? It might be because of an energy-efficiency program you signed up for with the utility company.
These agreements help you enhance your home’s energy efficiency. They will sometimes offer rebates on new accessories or special discounts for renewable energy systems. But lots of people are shocked to learn they also grant your utility company remote access to your thermostat. If the power grid is under a heavy load, the utility company can override your thermostat and change the temperature. You could be having problems with the Seasonal Savings program because a utility company is using this remote access.
But what if the setting is defective or just dismissing your preferences? Whatever the reason could be, you don’t want a feature to increase your energy use without your permission. We’ll review how other homeowners have turned off the Seasonal Savings program.
How to Disable Your Nest Thermostat’s Seasonal Savings Feature
A number of people have documented trouble shutting off the Seasonal Savings feature. While the location of this setting may be different according to your specific Nest model, other users are worried that Google is intentionally making it more difficult to turn off Seasonal Savings. To make sure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll include the ways other users have found success.
- Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually setting the temperature should overrule the Seasonal Savings program, but quite a few users have observed this isn’t the case. If you observe your Nest constantly reversing your changes, you’ll probably prefer to turn off the feature completely.
- Shutting off the setting from the Nest app: Your phone or tablet’s Nest app should have a History option and a Settings option. Google directs users to their History to switch off Seasonal Savings, but other users have located this option within 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 possess a History option where you can turn off Seasonal Savings, but many homeowners report the disable option is missing.
- Opting out before the program begins: The Seasonal Savings program is only available around summer and winter. Your smart device will be sent a notification when the program is about to launch, offering you the opportunity to opt out.
When Seasonal Savings is active, your Nest will show a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If the Nest is having issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is not visible, your issue might be with another setting entirely.
Sometimes the Problem Isn’t Seasonal Savings but a Different Setting or Program
Other 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 changes. Fortunately, these settings can be switched off. You’ll also have options if the headache 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 ability to understand your preferences to set the perfect schedule. Going into Settings and switching off Auto-Schedule should prevent other automatic adjustments like Seasonal Savings.
- Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats can still switch to eco temperatures if you use an auto-switching function like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These features automatically adjust the temperature when the thermostat detects that no one is home.
- Negating the utility company’s energy agreement: Considering your energy provider might be remotely controlling a Nest thermostat, opting out of the agreement should take away remote access. You can obtain the full details of these agreements via your energy provider.
- Contacting Google support: If all else fails, contacting Google’s technical support could be of assistance. Staff can steer you to resetting the Nest or locating the appropriate setting to turn off Seasonal Savings.
If the Problem Continues, Your Thermostat Could Be Defective
There’s always the chance the Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical problems or software glitches can cause all types of trouble, including an aggravating Seasonal Savings program. If you think the problem is isolated to your own thermostat, a skilled technician may be able to help. After all, smart thermostats continue to be a beneficial investment for your home’s energy efficiency.
If you prefer local service for your smart thermostat in Fort Lauderdale, get in touch with the HVAC experts at Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning. They can help you determine the easiest way to stop an uncooperative Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.