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 automatically maintain the temperature of your home according to your daily schedule. They also have the means to study comfort preferences over time. Subsequently, you can make big savings on your energy bills by ensuring that your home is only heated or cooled when you need it.
Google’s smart thermostat is the Nest, and numerous homeowners are pleased with its features and general efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–could be causing trouble instead of helping your HVAC system. Frequent issues are pushing homeowners to figure out how to shut off this feature. We’ll share the concerns some people are having with Seasonal Savings and provide instructions for how to opt out of the feature.
Many Homeowners Allege the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Like It Should
Google developed the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners improve their energy efficiency. Around maximum HVAC use in the summer and winter, it should automatically adjust the thermostat to balance your preferences with energy efficiency. The program is designed to run without getting in the way of your sense of comfort, implementing the biggest changes when you’re away or sleeping. Sadly, this isn’t the case for many people participating in the program.
Alternatively, there are reports that the program is contradictory and irritating to use. Homeowners are complaining 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 discovered the way to do so is hard to find or downright 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 heating and cooling. While automatic temperature changes are a customary feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t overrule your desired settings. If your Nest refuses to accommodate your comfort preferences, shutting off the Seasonal Savings option is the right move.
But First, Why Is This Happening?
Homeowners are complaining that the Seasonal Savings program was activated on their Nest thermostat without their consent. Why should a smart thermostat you control dismiss your settings and activate the program? It might be because of an energy-efficiency agreement you subscribed to with the utility company.
These agreements help you enhance your home’s energy efficiency. They can feature rebates on new equipment or special discounts for renewable energy equipment. But lots of people are shocked to find out they also allow your utility company remote access to your thermostat. If the power grid is struggling with a heavy load, the utility company can control your thermostat and adjust the temperature. You may well be having problems with the Seasonal Savings program because a utility company is utilizing this remote access.
But what if the program is malfunctioning or just dismissing your preferences? Whatever the reason is, you don’t want a feature to raise your energy use without your permission. We’ll explain 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 shutting off the Seasonal Savings feature. While the location of this setting may be different depending on your specific Nest model, other users are nervous that Google is purposely making it harder to turn off Seasonal Savings. To ensure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll list the ways other users have found success.
- Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually changing the temperature should outrank the Seasonal Savings program, but quite a few users have noticed this isn’t what's happening. If you see your Nest consistently ignoring your changes, you’ll probably prefer to shut off the feature completely.
- Opting out of the program 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 turn off Seasonal Savings, but other homeowners have found this option under Settings. Once disabled, the setting is temporarily off until the next summer or winter.
- Shutting off the program from the Nest thermostat: Your thermostat should also display a History option where you can disable Seasonal Savings, but some homeowners claim the disable option is absent.
- Opting out before the program launches: The Seasonal Savings program is only obtainable during summer and winter. Your smart device is supposed to be sent a notification when the program is about to start, giving you the chance to opt out.
When Seasonal Savings is running, your Nest will show a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If the Nest is experiencing issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is not visible, your issue might be with yet another setting entirely.
Sometimes the Problem Isn’t Seasonal Savings but a Different Setting or Program
Additional options on Nest smart thermostats aside from Seasonal Savings can cause automatic temperature changes. If these options are active during Seasonal Savings, even opting out of the program may not keep the thermostat from making changes. Luckily, these settings can be turned off. You’ll also have options if the issue is a third party like a power company.
- Shutting 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 perfect schedule. Going into Settings and shutting off Auto-Schedule should stop other automatic adjustments including Seasonal Savings.
- Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats might still shift to eco temperatures if you have an auto-switching function like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These settings automatically adjust the temperature when the thermostat assumes that everyone is out of the house.
- Negating the utility company’s energy agreement: Since your energy provider might be remotely controlling your Nest thermostat, negating the agreement should take away unwanted access. You can find the full details of these agreements through your energy provider.
- Reaching out to Google support: If nothing else works, contacting Google’s technical support might be of assistance. Staff can lead you to resetting the Nest or finding the appropriate setting to disable Seasonal Savings.
If the Problem Remains, Your Thermostat May Be Faulty
There’s always the risk a Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical issues or software bugs can result in all sorts of problems, including an aggravating Seasonal Savings program. If you think the problem is isolated to your personal 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 support for your smart thermostat in Edmonton, contact the comfort experts at McKinley Heating Service Experts. They can help you figure out the ideal way to disable a stubborn Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.