Smart thermostats are increasing in popularity as more and more homeowners look for ways to cut down on their energy bills. These accessories can be programmed to conveniently regulate the temperature in your home in line with your daily schedule. They also have the capability to study comfort preferences over time. Subsequently, you can cut costs 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 satisfied with its features and general efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–is stirring up trouble as opposed to helping your HVAC system. Consistent issues are driving homeowners to find out how to disable this feature. We’ll share the trouble some people are having with Seasonal Savings and offer instructions for how to opt out of the setting.
Many Homeowners Argue the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Well
Google developed the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners improve their energy efficiency. During the highest HVAC use in the summer and winter, it can automatically adjust the thermostat to satisfy your preferences with energy efficiency. The program is designed to run without interrupting your sense of comfort, making the biggest changes when you’re away or asleep. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for many people taking part in the program.
In fact, there are accounts that the program is contradictory and frustrating to use. Homeowners are concerned that the program is really increasing their energy bills instead of reducing them. And when they try to disable or opt out of Seasonal Savings, they’ve discovered the way to do so is difficult to find or outright absent. In many cases people have even noticed it being switched back on after it was disabled.
Smart thermostats are expected to strengthen the efficiency of your heating and cooling. While automatic temperature adjustments are a widespread feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t bypass your favored settings. If a Nest refuses to accommodate your comfort preferences, disabling the Seasonal Savings feature is the correct move.
But First, Why Is This Happening?
Homeowners are concerned that the Seasonal Savings setting was activated on their Nest thermostat without their permission. Why can a smart thermostat you control brush off your settings and activate the program? It may be because of an energy-efficiency program you signed up for with your utility company.
These agreements help you enhance your home’s energy efficiency. They may come with rebates on new equipment or special discounts for renewable energy equipment. But most people are alarmed to learn they also permit your utility company remote access to your thermostat. If the power grid is experiencing a heavy load, the utility company can control your thermostat and adjust the temperature. You may 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 program is defective or just dismissing your preferences? Whatever the reason could be, you don’t want a feature to raise your energy use without your consent. We’ll share how other homeowners have shut 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 based on your specific Nest model, other users are worried that Google is intentionally making it more difficult to turn off Seasonal Savings. To make sure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll describe the ways other users have had success.
- Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually setting the temperature should overrule the Seasonal Savings program, but numerous users have found this isn’t what's happening. If you observe your Nest repeatedly ignoring your changes, you’ll probably prefer to disable the feature outright.
- Opting out of the setting 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 people have located this option in Settings. Once disabled, the program is temporarily off until the next summer or winter.
- Disabling the program from the Nest thermostat: Your thermostat should also have a History option where you can opt out of Seasonal Savings, but some homeowners state the disable option is not there.
- Opting out before the program launches: The Seasonal Savings program is only obtainable around summer and winter. Your smart device is supposed to be sent a notification when the program is about to start, offering you the time to opt out.
When Seasonal Savings is active, your Nest is supposed to feature a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If the Nest is struggling with issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is not visible, your problem could be with a different setting entirely.
Sometimes the Issue Isn’t Seasonal Savings but Another Setting or Program
Additional features on Nest smart thermostats besides Seasonal Savings can result in automatic temperature changes. If these settings are active during Seasonal Savings, even disabling the program may not deter the thermostat from making alterations. Luckily, these settings can be disabled. You’ll also have options if the problem is a third party like the power company.
- Shutting off Auto-Schedule: The Nest Thermostat E and Nest Learning Thermostat both offer the Auto-Schedule feature, using their capability to study your preferences to define the best possible schedule. Going into Settings and turning off Auto-Schedule should disable other automatic changes such as Seasonal Savings.
- Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats might still swap to eco temperatures if you possess an auto-switching setting like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These features automatically adjust the temperature when the thermostat assumes that the house is empty.
- Negating the utility company’s energy agreement: Since your energy provider could be remotely controlling the Nest thermostat, nullifying the agreement should take away their access. You can obtain the complete details of these agreements with your energy provider.
- Calling Google support: If everything else fails, calling Google’s technical support could be of service. Staff can steer you to resetting the Nest or locating the appropriate setting to disable Seasonal Savings.
If the Problem Remains, Your Thermostat Could Be Defective
There’s always the risk a Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical damage or software glitches can result in all kinds of problems, including an aggravating Seasonal Savings program. If you suspect the problem is isolated to your specific thermostat, a seasoned technician might be able to help. After all, smart thermostats continue to be a worthwhile investment for your home’s energy efficiency.
If you prefer local support for your smart thermostat in Roanoke, get in touch with the heating and cooling experts at Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning. They can help you figure out the easiest way to switch off an uncooperative Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.