Smart thermostats are increasing in popularity as more and more homeowners seek out ways to cut down on their energy bills. These accessories can be programmed to conveniently adjust the temperature inside your home based on your daily schedule. They also have the capacity to study comfort preferences over time. As a result, you can spend less on your energy bills by making sure that your home is only heated or cooled when you need it.
Google’s smart thermostat is the Nest, and numerous homeowners are content with its features and all-around efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–may be stirring up trouble rather than improving your HVAC system. Frequent issues are pushing homeowners to find out how to switch off this feature. We’ll present the trouble some people are having with Seasonal Savings and include instructions for how to opt out of the feature.
Many Homeowners Argue the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Well
Google developed the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners boost their energy efficiency. During maximum HVAC use in the summer and winter, it will automatically adjust the thermostat to satisfy your preferences with energy efficiency. The program is expected to run without disrupting your sense of comfort, setting up the biggest changes when you’re away or sleeping. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for lots of people participating in the program.
In fact, there are claims that the program is sporadic and frustrating to use. Homeowners are concerned that the program is actually increasing their energy bills instead of lowering them. And when they attempt to disable or opt out of Seasonal Savings, they’ve noticed the option to do so is hard to find or entirely absent. In some cases people have even noted it being flipped back on after it was disabled.
Smart thermostats are designed to increase the efficiency of your HVAC equipment. While automatic temperature corrections are a widespread feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t overrule your desired settings. If the Nest refuses to accommodate your comfort preferences, disabling the Seasonal Savings feature is the right move.
But First, Why Is This Going On?
Homeowners are noticing that the Seasonal Savings program was started on their Nest thermostat without their permission. Why can a smart thermostat you command overlook your settings and activate the program? It could be because of an energy-efficiency agreement you signed up for with a utility company.
These agreements help you enhance your home’s energy efficiency. They can include rebates on new products or special offers for renewable energy products. But many people are shocked to learn they also grant your utility company remote access to the thermostat. If the power grid is under a heavy load, the utility company can take over your thermostat and raise the temperature. You might be having problems with the Seasonal Savings program because a utility company is utilizing this remote access.
But what if the feature is faulty or just dismissing your preferences? Whatever the reason might be, you don’t want a feature to raise your energy use without your approval. We’ll take you step-by-step through how other homeowners have opted out of the Seasonal Savings program.
How to Disable Your Nest Thermostat’s Seasonal Savings Feature
A number of people have reported 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 nervous that Google is intentionally making it harder to opt out of Seasonal Savings. To make sure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll list the ways other users have had success.
- Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually setting the temperature should supersede the Seasonal Savings program, but many users have observed this isn’t the case. If you note your Nest consistently reversing your changes, you’ll probably prefer to turn off the feature outright.
- Opting out of the feature from the Nest app: Your phone or tablet’s Nest app ought to have a History option and a Settings option. Google directs users to their History to turn off Seasonal Savings, but other people have found this option under Settings. Once disabled, the program is temporarily off until the following summer or winter.
- Shutting off the program from the Nest thermostat: Your thermostat should also have a History option where you can turn off Seasonal Savings, but many homeowners state the disable option is absent.
- Opting out before the program starts: The Seasonal Savings program is only accessible in summer and winter. Your smart device will receive a notification when the program is about to launch, offering you the time to opt out.
When Seasonal Savings is running, your Nest will display a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If your Nest is experiencing issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is absent, your predicament might be with yet another setting entirely.
Sometimes the Problem Isn’t Seasonal Savings but a Different Setting or Program
Alternative features on Nest smart thermostats aside from Seasonal Savings can lead to automatic temperature changes. If these options are active during Seasonal Savings, even shutting off the program may not stop the thermostat from making adjustments. Thankfully, these settings can be turned off. You’ll also have options if the problem 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 ability to understand your preferences to define the best possible schedule. Going into Settings and turning off Auto-Schedule should stop other automatic adjustments like Seasonal Savings.
- Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats can still flip to eco temperatures if you possess an auto-switching setting like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These settings automatically control the temperature when the thermostat thinks that everyone is out of the house.
- Leaving the utility company’s energy agreement: Because your energy provider might be remotely controlling the Nest thermostat, cancelling the agreement should take away unwanted access. You can locate the complete details of these agreements via your energy provider.
- Calling Google support: If everything else fails, calling Google’s technical support might be of assistance. Staff can lead you to resetting the Nest or determining the proper setting to disable Seasonal Savings.
If the Problem Continues, Your Thermostat May Be Faulty
There’s always the chance your Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical issues or software glitches can trigger all kinds of issues, including an obnoxious Seasonal Savings program. If you believe the problem is isolated to your own thermostat, an experienced technician may be able to help. After all, smart thermostats continue to be a valuable investment for your home’s energy efficiency.
If you’d like local assistance for your smart thermostat in Rochester, call the HVAC specialists at Strogen's Service Experts. They can help you find out the easiest way to disable a stubborn Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.