Smart thermostats are increasing in popularity as more and more homeowners seek out ways to cut down on their energy expenses. These accessories can be programmed to efficiently adjust the temperature in your home based on your regular schedule. They also have the capability to memorize these preferences over time. As a result, 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 numerous homeowners are delighted with its features and general efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–might be making trouble instead of helping your HVAC system. Frequent issues are driving homeowners to learn how to shut off this feature. We’ll review the issues some people are having with Seasonal Savings and offer instructions for how to opt out of the feature.
Many Homeowners Say the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Correctly
Google designed the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners enhance their energy efficiency. For maximum HVAC use in the summer and winter, it will automatically adjust the thermostat to satisfy your preferences with energy efficiency. The program is designed to run without disrupting your sense of comfort, implementing the biggest changes when you’re away or in bed. Sadly, this isn’t the case for many people participating in the program.
In fact, there are claims that the program is contradictory and frustrating to use. Homeowners are complaining that the program is really increasing their energy bills instead of reducing them. And when they decide to disable or opt out of Seasonal Savings, they’ve discovered the setting to do so is hard to find or just missing. In various cases people have even noted it being turned back on after it was disabled.
Smart thermostats are intended to enhance the efficiency of your HVAC system. While automatic temperature adjustments are a customary feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t overrule your favored settings. If the Nest refuses to accommodate your comfort preferences, shutting off the Seasonal Savings program is the correct move.
But First, Why Is This Going On?
Homeowners are concerned that the Seasonal Savings setting was running on their Nest thermostat without their approval. Why should a smart thermostat you control overlook your settings and enroll in the program? It might be because of an energy-efficiency agreement you signed up for with the utility company.
These agreements help you enhance your home’s energy efficiency. They can offer rebates on new accessories or special promotions for renewable energy equipment. But most people are shocked to find out they also permit 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 raise 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 setting is faulty or just dismissing your preferences? Whatever the reason is, you don’t want a feature to raise your energy use without your approval. We’ll take you step-by-step through how other people have opted out of the Seasonal Savings program.
How to Disable Your Nest Thermostat’s Seasonal Savings Feature
A number of people have disclosed 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 harder to turn off Seasonal Savings. To ensure 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 outrank the Seasonal Savings program, but quite a few users have found this isn’t the case. If you notice your Nest consistently ignoring your changes, you’ll probably opt to turn off the feature entirely.
- Opting out of the feature from the Nest app: Your phone or tablet’s Nest app should have a History option and a Settings option. Google points users to their History to disable Seasonal Savings, but other people have found 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 disable Seasonal Savings, but many homeowners claim the disable option is missing.
- Opting out before the program begins: The Seasonal Savings program is only accessible during summer and winter. Your smart device should get a notification when the program is about to begin, giving you the chance to opt out.
When Seasonal Savings is running, your Nest is supposed to display a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If the Nest is struggling with issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is not visible, your problem may be with a different setting entirely.
Sometimes the Problem Isn’t Seasonal Savings but Another Setting or Program
Other options on Nest smart thermostats aside from Seasonal Savings can result in unwanted temperature changes. If these options are active during Seasonal Savings, even opting out of the program may not stop the thermostat from making alterations. Luckily, these settings can be switched off. You’ll also have options if the issue is a third party like the power company.
- Turning off Auto-Schedule: The Nest Thermostat E and Nest Learning Thermostat both give you the Auto-Schedule feature, using their ability to study your preferences to set the best possible schedule. Going into Settings and turning off Auto-Schedule should prevent other automatic adjustments including Seasonal Savings.
- Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats may still shift to eco temperatures if you use an auto-switching feature like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These features automatically adjust the temperature when the thermostat detects that the house is empty.
- Leaving the utility company’s energy agreement: Because your energy provider may be remotely controlling your Nest thermostat, cancelling the agreement should get rid of their access. You can find the complete details of these agreements with your energy provider.
- Calling Google support: If everything else fails, calling Google’s technical support may be of assistance. Staff can point you to resetting the Nest or finding the correct setting to switch off Seasonal Savings.
If the Problem Continues, Your Thermostat Might Be Malfunctioning
There’s always the risk the Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical issues or software glitches can result in all kinds of trouble, including an aggravating 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 worthwhile investment for your home’s energy efficiency.
If you want local assistance for your smart thermostat in Cleveland, get in touch with the HVAC experts at Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning. They can help you find the best way to disable a stubborn Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.