Smart thermostats are growing in popularity as more and more homeowners seek out ways to lower their energy bills. These accessories can be programmed to efficiently adjust the temperature in your home according to your day-to-day schedule. They also have the ability to learn these preferences over time. As a result, you can make big savings on your energy bills by seeing to it that your HVAC system is only on when you need it.
Google’s smart thermostat is the Nest, and plenty of homeowners are pleased with its features and all-around efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–is making trouble rather than helping your HVAC system. Constant issues are pushing homeowners to research how to shut off this feature. We’ll review the problems some people are having with Seasonal Savings and include instructions for how to opt out of the program.
Many Homeowners Allege the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Correctly
Google designed the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners increase their energy efficiency. For peak HVAC use in the summer and winter, it can automatically adjust the thermostat to satisfy your preferences with energy efficiency. The program is supposed to run without disrupting your sense of comfort, making the biggest changes when you’re away or asleep. Sadly, this isn’t the case for many people enrolled in the program.
In fact, there are reports that the program is contradictory and annoying to use. Homeowners are noticing that the program is actually increasing their energy bills instead of shrinking them. And when they try to disable or opt out of Seasonal Savings, they’ve discovered the setting to do so is hard to find or outright missing. In many cases people have even noted it being switched back on after it was disabled.
Smart thermostats are designed to strengthen the efficiency of your HVAC system. While automatic temperature changes are a common feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t ignore your preferred settings. If a Nest won’t work with your comfort preferences, opting out of the Seasonal Savings feature is the right move.
But First, Why Is This A Problem?
Homeowners are claiming that the Seasonal Savings setting was activated on their Nest thermostat without their authorization. Why should a smart thermostat you operate brush off your settings and activate the program? It may be because of an energy-efficiency agreement you subscribed to with your utility company.
These agreements help you increase your home’s energy efficiency. They can come with rebates on new equipment or special discounts for renewable energy products. But lots of people are shocked to find out 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 override your thermostat and change the temperature. You may be having issues with the Seasonal Savings program because a utility company is taking advantage of this remote access.
But what if the setting is defective or just disregarding your preferences? Whatever the reason could be, you don’t want a feature to double your energy use without your permission. We’ll explain how other users have shut off the Seasonal Savings program.
How to Disable Your Nest Thermostat’s Seasonal Savings Feature
A number of people have experienced trouble opting out of the Seasonal Savings feature. While the location of this setting might be different based on your specific Nest model, other users are alarmed that Google is intentionally making it tougher to disable 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 adjusting the temperature should override the Seasonal Savings program, but quite a few users have found this isn’t what's happening. If you observe your Nest repeatedly ignoring your changes, you’ll probably opt to disable the feature outright.
- Disabling the program from the Nest app: Your phone or tablet’s Nest app should have a History option and a Settings option. Google guides users to their History to shut off Seasonal Savings, but other homeowners have discovered this option under Settings. Once disabled, the feature is temporarily off until the following summer or winter.
- Disabling the program from the Nest thermostat: Your thermostat should also display a History option where you can turn off Seasonal Savings, but many homeowners report the disable option is gone.
- Opting out before the program launches: The Seasonal Savings program is only available during summer and winter. Your smart device is supposed to get a notification when the program is about to launch, giving you the time to opt out.
When Seasonal Savings is engaged, your Nest will display a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If a Nest is having issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is not visible, your trouble could be with another setting entirely.
Sometimes the Issue Isn’t Seasonal Savings but a Different Setting or Program
Other options on Nest smart thermostats aside from Seasonal Savings can lead to unwanted temperature changes. If these settings are active during Seasonal Savings, even shutting off the program may not deter the thermostat from making changes. Luckily, these settings can be turned off. You’ll also have options if the headache is a third party like the power company.
- Switching off Auto-Schedule: The Nest Thermostat E and Nest Learning Thermostat both offer the Auto-Schedule feature, using their capacity to understand your preferences to define the perfect schedule. Going into Settings and turning off Auto-Schedule should disable other automatic controls like Seasonal Savings.
- Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats might still switch to eco temperatures if you have an auto-switching function like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These features automatically adjust the temperature when the thermostat thinks that the house is empty.
- Leaving the utility company’s energy agreement: Since your energy provider could be remotely controlling the Nest thermostat, opting out of the agreement should remove unwanted access. You can locate the full details of these agreements with your energy provider.
- Contacting Google support: If all else fails, calling Google’s technical support may be of service. Staff can guide you to resetting the Nest or finding the proper setting to switch off Seasonal Savings.
If the Problem Continues, Your Thermostat Might Be Faulty
There’s always the chance a Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical issues or software glitches can cause all types of problems, including an aggravating Seasonal Savings program. If you suspect the problem is isolated to your specific thermostat, a seasoned technician will be able to help. After all, smart thermostats remain a beneficial investment for your home’s energy efficiency.
If you prefer local service for your smart thermostat in West Palm Beach, contact the heating and cooling specialists at Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning. They can help you find the best way to switch off a stubborn Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.