Smart thermostats are gaining in popularity as more and more homeowners look for ways to cut down on their energy costs. These accessories can be programmed to efficiently regulate the temperature at home according to your weekly schedule. They also have the ability to memorize your preferences over time. Subsequently, 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 many homeowners are pleased with its features and all-around efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–may be stirring up trouble as opposed to improving your HVAC system. Consistent issues are pushing homeowners to look for how to shut off this feature. We’ll present 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 Correctly
Google built the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners boost their energy efficiency. Around peak HVAC use in the summer and winter, it is supposed to automatically adjust the thermostat to match your preferences with energy efficiency. The program is designed to run without getting in the way of your sense of comfort, making the biggest changes when you’re away or sleeping. Sadly, this isn’t the case for many people enrolled in the program.
In fact, there are accounts that the program is inconsistent and irritating to use. Homeowners are complaining that the program is really 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 tough to find or downright absent. In several cases people have even noted it being turned back on after it was disabled.
Smart thermostats are expected to improve the efficiency of your HVAC system. While automatic temperature changes are a common feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t override your desired settings. If a Nest isn't meeting your comfort preferences, shutting off the Seasonal Savings feature is the best move.
But First, Why Is This Going On?
Homeowners are claiming that the Seasonal Savings program was activated on their Nest thermostat without their permission. Why would a smart thermostat you control dismiss your settings and activate the program? It may be because of an energy-efficiency program you subscribed to with a utility company.
These agreements help you increase your home’s energy efficiency. They can offer rebates on new accessories or special offers for renewable energy products. But many people are shocked to hear they also grant your utility company remote access to the thermostat. If the power grid is struggling with a heavy load, the utility company can take over your thermostat and adjust the temperature. You might be having problems with the Seasonal Savings program because a utility company is making use of this remote access.
But what if the program is faulty or just dismissing your preferences? Whatever the reason may be, you don’t want a feature to double your energy use without your approval. We’ll explain 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 disabling the Seasonal Savings feature. While the location of this setting may be different based on your specific Nest model, other users are concerned that Google is intentionally making it more difficult to opt out of Seasonal Savings. To make sure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll include the ways other users have had success.
- Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually changing the temperature should override the Seasonal Savings program, but quite a few users have discovered this isn’t entirely accurate. If you observe your Nest constantly undoing your changes, you’ll probably opt to disable the feature completely.
- Disabling the setting from the Nest app: Your phone or tablet’s Nest app should have a History option and a Settings option. Google points users to their History to switch off Seasonal Savings, but other homeowners have located this option in Settings. Once disabled, the program is temporarily off until the subsequent summer or winter.
- Shutting off the program from the Nest thermostat: Your thermostat should also feature a History option where you can opt out of Seasonal Savings, but many homeowners report the disable option is absent.
- Opting out before the program launches: The Seasonal Savings program is only available in summer and winter. Your smart device is supposed to receive a notification when the program is about to begin, giving you the chance to opt out.
When Seasonal Savings is running, your Nest is supposed to display a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If the Nest is having issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is not visible, your issue could be with a different setting entirely.
Sometimes the Issue Isn’t Seasonal Savings but a Different Setting or Program
Alternative settings on Nest smart thermostats aside from Seasonal Savings can lead to counterintuitive temperature changes. If these settings are active during Seasonal Savings, even opting out of the program may not keep 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.
- Turning off Auto-Schedule: The Nest Thermostat E and Nest Learning Thermostat both extend the Auto-Schedule feature, using their capability to learn your preferences to define the best possible schedule. Going into Settings and shutting off Auto-Schedule should disable other automatic controls including Seasonal Savings.
- Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats can still swap 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 detects that no one is around.
- Opting out of the utility company’s energy agreement: Since your energy provider may be remotely controlling your Nest thermostat, opting out of the agreement should remove their access. You can obtain the complete details of these agreements with your energy provider.
- Calling Google support: If nothing else works, reaching out to Google’s technical support may be of help. Staff can direct you to resetting the Nest or finding the correct setting to shut off Seasonal Savings.
If the Problem Remains, Your Thermostat Might Be Malfunctioning
There’s always the chance your Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical problems or software glitches can trigger all kinds of issues, including an aggravating Seasonal Savings program. If you suspect the problem is isolated to your personal 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 support for your smart thermostat in Boise, get in touch with the comfort specialists at TML Service Experts. They can help you find out the best way to stop a stubborn Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.