Smart thermostats are increasing in popularity as more and more homeowners search for ways to scale back their energy costs. These devices can be programmed to efficiently maintain the temperature inside your home based on your regular schedule. They also have the means to study your preferences over time. For this reason, you can spend less 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 numerous homeowners are delighted with its features and overall efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–may be stirring up trouble as opposed to helping your HVAC system. Constant issues are driving homeowners to research how to shut off this feature. We’ll present the trouble some people are having with Seasonal Savings and provide instructions for how to opt out of the setting.
Many Homeowners Say the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Well
Google developed the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners enhance their energy efficiency. For maximum 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 supposed to run without interrupting your sense of comfort, implementing the biggest changes when you’re away or in bed. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for numerous people participating in the program.
In fact, there are accounts that the program is inconsistent and frustrating to use. Homeowners are concerned that the program is actually increasing their energy bills instead of reducing them. And when they try to disable or opt out of Seasonal Savings, they’ve found the setting to do so is hard to find or outright absent. In some cases people have even discovered it being switched back on after it was disabled.
Smart thermostats are expected to boost the efficiency of your HVAC system. While automatic temperature changes are a common feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t bypass your preferred settings. If your Nest refuses to accommodate your comfort preferences, opting out of the Seasonal Savings option is the correct move.
But First, Why Is This A Problem?
Homeowners are noticing that the Seasonal Savings program was started on their Nest thermostat without their permission. Why should a smart thermostat you control dismiss your settings and enroll in the program? It may be because of an energy-efficiency agreement you signed up for with your utility company.
These agreements help you enhance your home’s energy efficiency. They may include rebates on new accessories or special discounts for renewable energy systems. But most people are alarmed to hear they also grant your utility company remote access to your thermostat. If the power grid is experiencing a heavy load, the utility company can override your thermostat and turn up the temperature. You could be having issues with the Seasonal Savings program because a utility company is making use of this remote access.
But what if the program is malfunctioning or just ignoring your preferences? Whatever the reason may be, you don’t want a feature to double your energy use without your permission. We’ll explain 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 documented trouble disabling the Seasonal Savings feature. While the location of this setting may be different depending on your specific Nest model, other users are worried 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 overrule the Seasonal Savings program, but many users have noticed this isn’t what's happening. If you see your Nest constantly ignoring your changes, you’ll probably prefer to disable the feature completely.
- Opting out of the program 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 disable Seasonal Savings, but other users have discovered this option under Settings. Once disabled, the setting 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 turn off Seasonal Savings, but some homeowners report the disable option is gone.
- Opting out before the program begins: The Seasonal Savings program is only available around summer and winter. Your smart device is supposed to be sent a notification when the program is about to launch, offering you the opportunity to opt out.
When Seasonal Savings is active, your Nest is supposed to show a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If your Nest is struggling with issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is not visible, your predicament might be with a different setting entirely.
Sometimes the Source Isn’t Seasonal Savings but Another Setting or Program
Additional options on Nest smart thermostats aside from Seasonal Savings can result in automatic temperature changes. If these features are active during Seasonal Savings, even disabling the program may not prevent the thermostat from making adjustments. Thankfully, 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 ability to understand your preferences to set the perfect schedule. Going into Settings and turning off Auto-Schedule should prevent other automatic controls such as Seasonal Savings.
- Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats can still switch to eco temperatures if you have an auto-switching function like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These functions automatically change the temperature when the thermostat assumes that everyone is out of the house.
- Negating the utility company’s energy agreement: Since your energy provider could be remotely controlling your Nest thermostat, nullifying the agreement should take away their access. You can locate the complete details of these agreements through 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 guide you to resetting the Nest or determining the appropriate setting to turn off Seasonal Savings.
If the Problem Persists, Your Thermostat May Be Faulty
There’s always the risk the Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical problems or software glitches can cause all kinds of issues, including an aggravating Seasonal Savings program. If you suspect the problem is isolated to your own thermostat, a knowledgeable technician may be able to help. After all, smart thermostats are still a worthwhile investment for your home’s energy efficiency.
If you’d like local support for your smart thermostat in Waldorf, call the HVAC specialists at A-PLUS Service Experts. They can help you figure out the ideal way to switch off an uncooperative Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.