How to Disable Your Nest Thermostats Seasonal Savings Program

Smart thermostats are increasing in popularity as more and more homeowners search for ways to reduce their energy expenses. These devices can be programmed to conveniently maintain the temperature at home in line with your day-to-day schedule. They also have the capacity to study these preferences over time. As a result, you can spend less on your energy bills by making sure that your comfort system is only running when you need it.

Google’s smart thermostat is the Nest, and lots of homeowners are pleased with its features and overall efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–might be stirring up trouble as opposed to improving your HVAC system. Frequent issues are pushing homeowners to figure out how to disable this feature. We’ll share the problems 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 Correctly

Google designed the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners boost their energy efficiency. Around maximum HVAC use in the summer and winter, it can automatically adjust the thermostat to satisfy your preferences with energy efficiency. The program is supposed to run without getting in the way of your sense of comfort, setting up the biggest changes when you’re away or in bed. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for lots of people taking part in the program.

Alternatively, there are accounts that the program is sporadic and annoying to use. Homeowners are noticing 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 difficult to find or entirely absent. In various cases people have even noted it being flipped back on after it was disabled.

Smart thermostats are supposed to enhance the efficiency of your HVAC equipment. While automatic temperature adjustments are a common feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t ignore your preferred settings. If the Nest refuses to accommodate your comfort preferences, disabling the Seasonal Savings option is the right move.

But First, Why Is This A Problem?

Homeowners are noticing that the Seasonal Savings program was activated on their Nest thermostat without their authorization. Why should a smart thermostat you operate dismiss your settings and opt in for the program? It may be because of an energy-efficiency program you signed up for with the utility company.

These agreements help you improve your home’s energy efficiency. They will sometimes feature rebates on new products or special discounts for renewable energy equipment. But numerous people are alarmed to find out they also permit your utility company remote access to the thermostat. If the power grid is under a heavy load, the utility company can control your thermostat and adjust the temperature. You may be having issues with the Seasonal Savings program due to the fact that a utility company is utilizing this remote access.

But what if the setting is malfunctioning or just ignoring your preferences? Whatever the reason could be, you don’t want a feature to double your energy use without your consent. We’ll walk you through how other users have disabled the Seasonal Savings program.

How to Disable Your Nest Thermostat’s Seasonal Savings Feature

A number of people have documented 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 nervous that Google is intentionally making it tougher to opt out of Seasonal Savings. To make sure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll describe the ways other users have enjoyed success.

1. 1. Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually changing the temperature should overrule the Seasonal Savings program, but many users have discovered this isn’t what’s happening. If you observe your Nest consistently reversing your changes, you’ll probably opt to shut off the feature completely.

2. 2. Opting out of the setting from the Nest app: Your phone or tablet’s Nest app should have a History option and a Settings option. Google guides users to their History to shut off Seasonal Savings, but other users have discovered this option within Settings. Once disabled, the feature is temporarily off until the subsequent summer or winter.

3. 3. Stopping the program from the Nest thermostat: Your thermostat should also provide a History option where you can disable Seasonal Savings, but many homeowners claim the disable option is missing.

4. 4. Opting out before the program launches: The Seasonal Savings program is only available in summer and winter. Your smart device is supposed to get a notification when the program is about to launch, offering you the opportunity to opt out.

When Seasonal Savings is engaged, your Nest will display a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If the Nest is having issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is not visible, your predicament might be with yet another setting entirely.

Sometimes the Issue Isn’t Seasonal Savings but a Different Setting or Program

Other options on Nest smart thermostats aside from Seasonal Savings can lead to automatic temperature changes. If these settings are active during Seasonal Savings, even disabling the program may not deter the thermostat from making alterations. Thankfully, these settings can be turned off. You’ll also have options if the headache is a third party like your power company.

5. 5. Shutting off Auto-Schedule: The Nest Thermostat E and Nest Learning Thermostat both extend the Auto-Schedule feature, using their capacity to study your preferences to establish the best possible schedule. Going into Settings and switching off Auto-Schedule should stop other automatic controls including Seasonal Savings.

1. 1. Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats may still switch to eco temperatures if you have an auto-switching setting like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These settings automatically change the temperature when the thermostat detects that the house is empty.

6. 6. Leaving the utility company’s energy agreement: Considering your energy provider might be remotely controlling your Nest thermostat, nullifying the agreement should take away their access. You can locate the full details of these agreements via your energy provider.

7. 7. Calling Google support: If nothing else works, calling Google’s technical support might be of help. Staff can guide you to resetting the Nest or finding the proper setting to shut off Seasonal Savings.

If the Problem Remains, Your Thermostat May Be Defective

There’s always the chance a Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical problems or software bugs can result in all types of problems, including an obnoxious Seasonal Savings program. If you think the problem is isolated to your personal thermostat, a skilled technician may be able to help. After all, smart thermostats remain a valuable investment for your home’s energy efficiency.

If you want local support for your smart thermostat in the U.S., get in touch with the comfort experts at Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing. They can help you determine the easiest way to switch off a stubborn Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.