Smart thermostats are gaining in popularity as more and more homeowners look for ways to reduce their energy expenses. These accessories can be programmed to automatically regulate the temperature inside your home according to your daily schedule. They also have the capability to memorize comfort preferences over time. For this reason, you can save money on your energy bills by ensuring that your HVAC system is only on when you need it.
Google’s smart thermostat is the Nest, and plenty of homeowners are content with its features and overall efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–could be stirring up trouble instead of supporting your HVAC system. Persistent issues are pushing homeowners to look for how to switch off this feature. We’ll present the problems some people are having with Seasonal Savings and include instructions for how to opt out of the feature.
Many Homeowners Allege the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Like It Should
Google built 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 satisfy your preferences with energy efficiency. The program is designed to run without disrupting your sense of comfort, implementing the biggest changes when you’re away or in bed. Sadly, this isn’t the case for lots of people participating in the program.
Alternatively, there are reports that the program is contradictory and frustrating to use. Homeowners are noticing that the program is really increasing their energy bills instead of lowering them. And when they try to disable or opt out of Seasonal Savings, they’ve found the way to do so is hard to find or downright missing. In some cases people have even observed it being switched back on after it was disabled.
Smart thermostats are meant to improve the efficiency of your HVAC equipment. While automatic temperature adjustments are a customary feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t bypass your desired settings. If your Nest won’t work with your comfort preferences, shutting off the Seasonal Savings program is the correct move.
But First, Why Is This Going On?
Homeowners are claiming that the Seasonal Savings setting was running on their Nest thermostat without their consent. Why would a smart thermostat you operate overlook your settings and enroll in the program? It could be because of an energy-efficiency agreement you subscribed to with the utility company.
These agreements help you improve your home’s energy efficiency. They can feature rebates on new products or special discounts for renewable energy systems. But lots of people are shocked to find out they also permit your utility company remote access to the thermostat. If the power grid is experiencing a heavy load, the utility company can control your thermostat and adjust the temperature. You could be having trouble with the Seasonal Savings program because a utility company is using this remote access.
But what if the program is defective or just ignoring your preferences? Whatever the reason may be, you don’t want a feature to double your energy use without your consent. We’ll share how other people have switched 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 depending on your specific Nest model, other users are nervous that Google is purposely making it more difficult to disable Seasonal Savings. To ensure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll describe the ways other users have found success.
- Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually adjusting the temperature should outrank the Seasonal Savings program, but numerous users have observed this isn’t the case. If you note your Nest persistently ignoring your changes, you’ll probably want to shut off the feature entirely.
- Disabling the feature from the Nest app: Your phone or tablet’s Nest app is supposed to have a History option and a Settings option. Google directs users to their History to turn off Seasonal Savings, but other people have discovered this option in Settings. Once disabled, the setting is temporarily off until the following summer or winter.
- Shutting off the program from the Nest thermostat: Your thermostat should also provide a History option where you can opt out of Seasonal Savings, but some homeowners report the disable option is absent.
- Opting out before the program begins: The Seasonal Savings program is only accessible in summer and winter. Your smart device is supposed to get a notification when the program is about to begin, allowing you the opportunity to opt out.
When Seasonal Savings is on, your Nest is supposed to display a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If a Nest is struggling with issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is missing, your predicament may be with yet another setting entirely.
Sometimes the Source Isn’t Seasonal Savings but a Different Setting or Program
Other features on Nest smart thermostats aside from Seasonal Savings can lead to counterintuitive temperature changes. If these options are active during Seasonal Savings, even opting out of the program may not keep the thermostat from making adjustments. Fortunately, these settings can be turned 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 give you the Auto-Schedule feature, using their capacity to learn your preferences to establish the perfect schedule. Going into Settings and switching off Auto-Schedule should stop other automatic changes including Seasonal Savings.
- Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats will still swap to eco temperatures if you use an auto-switching function like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These settings automatically change the temperature when the thermostat thinks that the house is empty.
- Negating the utility company’s energy agreement: Because your energy provider could be remotely controlling your Nest thermostat, opting out of the agreement should remove their access. You can obtain the full details of these agreements with your energy provider.
- Calling Google support: If everything else fails, reaching out to Google’s technical support may be of assistance. Staff can guide you to resetting the Nest or finding the proper setting to disable Seasonal Savings.
If the Problem Remains, Your Thermostat Could Be Faulty
There’s always the possibility a Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical issues or software glitches can cause all sorts of trouble, including an aggravating Seasonal Savings program. If you suspect the problem is isolated to your own thermostat, an experienced technician might 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 Melbourne, call the comfort specialists at Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning. They can help you find out the best way to disable a stubborn Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.