Smart thermostats are increasing in popularity as more and more homeowners seek out ways to lower their energy expenses. These systems can be programmed to conveniently adjust the temperature of your home in line with your day-to-day schedule. They also have the capability to study comfort preferences over time. For this reason, you can spend less on your energy bills by ensuring that your comfort system is only running when you need it.
Google’s smart thermostat is the Nest, and lots of homeowners are happy with its features and all-around efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–could be stirring up trouble instead of improving your HVAC system. Persistent issues are driving homeowners to look for how to switch 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 program.
Many Homeowners Allege the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Like It Should
Google developed the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners boost their energy efficiency. Around 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 interrupting your sense of comfort, making the biggest changes when you’re away or sleeping. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for lots of people taking part in the program.
In fact, there are accounts that the program is inconsistent and difficult to use. Homeowners are concerned that the program is even increasing their energy bills instead of shrinking them. And when they decide to disable or opt out of Seasonal Savings, they’ve discovered the way to do so is hard to find or downright missing. In some cases people have even noticed it being turned back on after it was disabled.
Smart thermostats are meant to improve the efficiency of your HVAC system. While automatic temperature corrections are a popular feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t ignore your preferred settings. If the Nest refuses to accommodate your comfort preferences, opting out of the Seasonal Savings option is the right move.
But First, Why Is This Going On?
Homeowners are claiming that the Seasonal Savings feature was activated on their Nest thermostat without their consent. Why can a smart thermostat you operate brush off your settings and activate the program? It could be because of an energy-efficiency program you signed up for with a utility company.
These agreements help you improve your home’s energy efficiency. They may feature rebates on new accessories or special offers for renewable energy products. But many people are surprised to hear they also grant your utility company remote access to your thermostat. If the power grid is struggling with a heavy load, the utility company can control your thermostat and turn up the temperature. You might be having trouble with the Seasonal Savings program due to the fact that a utility company is utilizing this remote access.
But what if the feature is malfunctioning or just disregarding your preferences? Whatever the reason is, you don’t want a feature to double your energy use without your consent. 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 experienced trouble disabling the Seasonal Savings feature. While the location of this setting may be different according to your specific Nest model, other users are nervous that Google is purposely making it harder to disable Seasonal Savings. To make sure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll describe the ways other users have enjoyed success.
- Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually changing the temperature should override the Seasonal Savings program, but numerous users have noticed this isn’t the case. If you see your Nest constantly undoing your changes, you’ll probably opt to disable the feature entirely.
- Disabling the program 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 turn off Seasonal Savings, but other homeowners have found this option in 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 have 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 available during summer and winter. Your smart device should get a notification when the program is about to begin, allowing you the time to opt out.
When Seasonal Savings is active, your Nest is supposed to show a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If the Nest is experiencing issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is missing, your problem might be with another setting entirely.
Sometimes the Problem Isn’t Seasonal Savings but Another Setting or Program
Additional features on Nest smart thermostats aside from Seasonal Savings can lead to unwanted temperature changes. If these options are active during Seasonal Savings, even disabling the program may not stop the thermostat from making changes. Luckily, these settings can be switched off. You’ll also have options if the issue 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 capacity to study your preferences to establish the perfect schedule. Going into Settings and switching off Auto-Schedule should stop other automatic adjustments including Seasonal Savings.
- Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats can still shift to eco temperatures if you have an auto-switching feature like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These settings automatically control the temperature when the thermostat detects that no one is home.
- Opting out of the utility company’s energy agreement: Since your energy provider may be remotely controlling the Nest thermostat, nullifying the agreement should remove remote access. You can obtain the full details of these agreements with your energy provider.
- Reaching out to Google support: If nothing else works, reaching out to Google’s technical support may be of assistance. Staff can lead you to resetting the Nest or finding the appropriate setting to shut off Seasonal Savings.
If the Problem Remains, Your Thermostat Could Be Malfunctioning
There’s always the possibility a Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical issues or software glitches can trigger all types of problems, including an obnoxious Seasonal Savings program. If you think the problem is isolated to your specific 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’d like local support for your smart thermostat in East Syracuse, call the heating and cooling professionals at Falso Service Experts. They can help you determine the best way to disable an uncooperative Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.