Smart thermostats are growing in popularity as more and more homeowners search for ways to cut down on their energy costs. These devices can be programmed to efficiently regulate the temperature of your home according to your weekly schedule. They also have the means to memorize your preferences over time. Subsequently, you can make big savings 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 many homeowners are satisfied with its features and overall efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–might be causing trouble rather than supporting your HVAC system. Lasting issues are forcing homeowners to look for how to shut off this feature. We’ll share the problems some people are having with Seasonal Savings and include instructions for how to opt out of the setting.
Many Homeowners Argue the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Well
Google built the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners improve their energy efficiency. During peak HVAC use in the summer and winter, it will automatically adjust the thermostat to satisfy your preferences with energy efficiency. The program is intended to run without interrupting 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.
Instead, 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 reducing them. And when they decide to disable or opt out of Seasonal Savings, they’ve discovered the option to do so is difficult to find or entirely absent. In many cases people have even noticed it being switched 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 overrule your desired settings. If your Nest isn't meeting your comfort preferences, opting out of the Seasonal Savings option is the best move.
But First, Why Is This A Problem?
Homeowners are complaining that the Seasonal Savings setting was running on their Nest thermostat without their approval. Why would a smart thermostat you command brush off your settings and enroll in the program? It might be because of an energy-efficiency program you signed up for with a utility company.
These agreements help you raise your home’s energy efficiency. They will sometimes offer rebates on new products or special promotions for renewable energy products. But lots of people are alarmed to hear they also permit your utility company remote access to your thermostat. If the power grid is struggling with a heavy load, the utility company can override your thermostat and adjust the temperature. You may well be having problems with the Seasonal Savings program because a utility company is making use of this remote access.
But what if the feature is malfunctioning or just ignoring your preferences? Whatever the reason may be, you don’t want a feature to increase your energy use without your consent. We’ll share how other users have turned 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 could be different according to your specific Nest model, other users are concerned that Google is deliberately making it tougher to disable 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 changing the temperature should outrank the Seasonal Savings program, but numerous users have discovered this isn’t the case. If you see your Nest persistently undoing your changes, you’ll probably prefer to shut off the feature completely.
- Shutting off 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 shut off Seasonal Savings, but other users have discovered 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 disable Seasonal Savings, but many homeowners claim the disable option is gone.
- Opting out before the program launches: The Seasonal Savings program is only obtainable around summer and winter. Your smart device will be sent a notification when the program is about to begin, offering you the opportunity to opt out.
When Seasonal Savings is live, your Nest is supposed to feature a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If a Nest is struggling with issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is absent, your predicament could be with a different setting entirely.
Sometimes the Issue Isn’t Seasonal Savings but Another Setting or Program
Other options on Nest smart thermostats besides Seasonal Savings can lead to automatic temperature changes. If these features are active during Seasonal Savings, even opting out of the program may not stop the thermostat from making changes. Thankfully, these settings can be disabled. You’ll also have options if the problem is a third party like a power company.
- Switching off Auto-Schedule: The Nest Thermostat E and Nest Learning Thermostat both extend the Auto-Schedule feature, using their ability to study your preferences to establish the best possible schedule. Going into Settings and switching off Auto-Schedule should prevent other automatic changes including Seasonal Savings.
- Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats will still swap to eco temperatures if you possess an auto-switching function like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These features automatically adjust the temperature when the thermostat assumes that everyone is out of the house.
- Negating the utility company’s energy agreement: Because your energy provider may be remotely controlling the Nest thermostat, cancelling the agreement should get rid of remote access. You can obtain the complete details of these agreements from your energy provider.
- Reaching out to Google support: If all else fails, calling Google’s technical support might be of assistance. Staff can point you to resetting the Nest or locating the appropriate setting to shut off Seasonal Savings.
If the Problem Continues, Your Thermostat Might Be Defective
There’s always the risk a Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical damage or software bugs can trigger all sorts of issues, including an obnoxious Seasonal Savings program. If you believe the problem is isolated to your specific 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 want local service for your smart thermostat in Calgary, call the heating and cooling specialists at Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning. They can help you find out the best way to shut off a stubborn Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.