Smart thermostats are gaining in popularity as more and more homeowners look for ways to reduce their energy expenses. These systems can be programmed to conveniently maintain the temperature of your home in line with your weekly schedule. They also have the ability to learn these preferences over time. As a result, you can cut costs 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 many homeowners are happy with its features and all-around efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–is making trouble instead of improving your HVAC system. Consistent issues are driving homeowners to find out how to shut 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 Allege the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Like It Should
Google developed the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners improve their energy efficiency. For maximum HVAC use in the summer and winter, it will automatically adjust the thermostat to balance your preferences with energy efficiency. The program is expected to run without interrupting your sense of comfort, setting up the biggest changes when you’re away or in bed. Sadly, this isn’t the case for many people taking part in the program.
Alternatively, there are accounts that the program is inconsistent and irritating to use. Homeowners are noticing that the program is actually increasing their energy bills instead of lowering them. And when they try to disable or opt out of Seasonal Savings, they’ve discovered the setting to do so is difficult to find or outright absent. In various cases people have even observed it being switched back on after it was disabled.
Smart thermostats are designed to enhance the efficiency of your HVAC system. While automatic temperature changes are a widespread feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t bypass your preferred settings. If a Nest won’t work with your comfort preferences, disabling the Seasonal Savings feature is the best move.
But First, Why Is This A Problem?
Homeowners are claiming that the Seasonal Savings setting was running on their Nest thermostat without their authorization. Why should a smart thermostat you command ignore your settings and enroll in the program? It might be because of an energy-efficiency program you registered for with your utility company.
These agreements help you improve your home’s energy efficiency. They will sometimes feature rebates on new equipment or special promotions for renewable energy products. But lots of people are surprised to hear they also allow your utility company remote access to your thermostat. If the power grid is under a heavy load, the utility company can control your thermostat and change the temperature. You may be having issues with the Seasonal Savings program because a utility company is using this remote access.
But what if the feature is defective or just dismissing your preferences? Whatever the reason is, you don’t want a feature to raise your energy use without your consent. We’ll walk you through how other homeowners have switched off 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 may be different based on your specific Nest model, other users are worried that Google is purposely making it more difficult to opt out of Seasonal Savings. To ensure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll include the ways other users have had success.
- Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually changing the temperature should override the Seasonal Savings program, but numerous users have noticed this isn’t the case. If you note your Nest repeatedly undoing your changes, you’ll probably opt to shut off the feature entirely.
- Shutting off the program 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 users have discovered 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 have a History option where you can opt out of Seasonal Savings, but some homeowners claim the disable option is absent.
- Opting out before the program starts: The Seasonal Savings program is only obtainable during summer and winter. Your smart device should get a notification when the program is about to start, allowing you the time to opt out.
When Seasonal Savings is engaged, your Nest is supposed to show a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If a Nest is having issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is absent, your trouble might be with yet another setting entirely.
Sometimes the Source Isn’t Seasonal Savings but a Different Setting or Program
Different options on Nest smart thermostats besides Seasonal Savings can cause automatic temperature changes. If these features are active during Seasonal Savings, even opting out of the program may not deter the thermostat from making changes. Fortunately, these settings can be turned off. You’ll also have options if the headache is a third party like a power company.
- Switching off Auto-Schedule: The Nest Thermostat E and Nest Learning Thermostat both extend the Auto-Schedule feature, using their capability to understand your preferences to set the ideal schedule. Going into Settings and shutting off Auto-Schedule should disable other automatic changes such as Seasonal Savings.
- Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats may still swap to eco temperatures if you have an auto-switching function like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These features automatically regulate the temperature when the thermostat thinks that everyone is out of the house.
- Opting out of the utility company’s energy agreement: Since your energy provider could be remotely controlling a Nest thermostat, negating the agreement should take away their access. You can find the complete details of these agreements from your energy provider.
- Reaching out to Google support: If nothing else works, contacting Google’s technical support may be of service. Staff can direct you to resetting the Nest or finding the proper setting to disable Seasonal Savings.
If the Problem Continues, Your Thermostat Might Be Defective
There’s always the risk a Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical issues or software glitches can trigger all types of issues, including an obnoxious Seasonal Savings program. If you believe the problem is isolated to your own thermostat, a knowledgeable technician might be able to help. After all, smart thermostats continue to be a worthwhile investment for your home’s energy efficiency.
If you’d like local service for your smart thermostat in Edmonton, call the comfort professionals at Rob's Albertan Service Experts. They can help you find the ideal way to shut off a stubborn Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.