Smart thermostats are increasing in popularity as more and more homeowners look for ways to lower their energy costs. These accessories can be programmed to efficiently maintain the temperature inside your home according to your daily schedule. They also have the capacity to study comfort preferences over time. Subsequently, you can make big savings on your energy bills by ensuring that your comfort system is only running when you need it.
Google’s smart thermostat is the Nest, and plenty of homeowners are delighted with its features and overall efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–might be causing trouble instead of supporting your HVAC system. Consistent issues are pushing homeowners to learn how to disable 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 built the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners increase their energy efficiency. During the highest HVAC use in the summer and winter, it should automatically adjust the thermostat to match your preferences with energy efficiency. The program is intended 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 lots of people participating in the program.
Instead, there are accounts that the program is inconsistent and frustrating to use. Homeowners are noticing 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 noticed the setting to do so is difficult to find or just absent. In many cases people have even discovered it being switched back on after it was disabled.
Smart thermostats are intended to enhance the efficiency of your heating and cooling. While automatic temperature changes are a widespread feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t override your desired settings. If the Nest isn't meeting your comfort preferences, shutting off the Seasonal Savings program is the right move.
But First, Why Is This A Problem?
Homeowners are complaining that the Seasonal Savings feature was started on their Nest thermostat without their permission. Why can a smart thermostat you control dismiss your settings and opt in for the program? It may be because of an energy-efficiency agreement you registered for with a utility company.
These agreements help you improve your home’s energy efficiency. They may feature rebates on new accessories or special promotions for renewable energy equipment. But numerous people are surprised to find out 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 control of your thermostat and adjust the temperature. You may well be having problems with the Seasonal Savings program due to the fact that a utility company is using this remote access.
But what if the program is faulty or just ignoring your preferences? Whatever the reason is, you don’t want a feature to double your energy use without your consent. We’ll share how other homeowners have turned 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 depending on your specific Nest model, other users are nervous that Google is intentionally making it tougher 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 adjusting the temperature should overrule the Seasonal Savings program, but numerous users have discovered this isn’t what's happening. If you note your Nest persistently undoing your changes, you’ll probably want to disable the feature completely.
- Opting out of the feature from the Nest app: Your phone or tablet’s Nest app is supposed to have a History option and a Settings option. Google points users to their History to switch off Seasonal Savings, but other homeowners have discovered this option under Settings. Once disabled, the setting is temporarily off until the following summer or winter.
- Stopping the program from the Nest thermostat: Your thermostat should also possess a History option where you can opt out of Seasonal Savings, but many homeowners report the disable option is absent.
- Opting out before the program starts: The Seasonal Savings program is only obtainable around summer and winter. Your smart device should get a notification when the program is about to start, giving you the time to opt out.
When Seasonal Savings is on, your Nest should display a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If a Nest is experiencing issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is not visible, your trouble could be with a different setting entirely.
Sometimes the Problem Isn’t Seasonal Savings but Another Setting or Program
Alternative features on Nest smart thermostats apart from Seasonal Savings can result in automatic temperature changes. If these options are active during Seasonal Savings, even shutting off the program may not prevent the thermostat from making adjustments. Thankfully, these settings can be switched off. You’ll also have options if the headache is a third party like the power company.
- Switching off Auto-Schedule: The Nest Thermostat E and Nest Learning Thermostat both offer the Auto-Schedule feature, using their capacity to study your preferences to set the ideal schedule. Going into Settings and switching off Auto-Schedule should prevent other automatic adjustments such as Seasonal Savings.
- Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats can still shift 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 assumes that everyone is out of the house.
- Opting out of the utility company’s energy agreement: Because your energy provider could be remotely controlling your Nest thermostat, opting out of the agreement should remove their access. You can obtain the complete details of these agreements via your energy provider.
- Contacting Google support: If all else fails, contacting Google’s technical support could be of help. Staff can guide you to resetting the Nest or finding the appropriate setting to shut off Seasonal Savings.
If the Problem Continues, Your Thermostat Could Be Defective
There’s always the risk a Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical problems or software glitches can cause all sorts of trouble, including an aggravating Seasonal Savings program. If you think the problem is isolated to your own thermostat, a seasoned technician will be able to help. After all, smart thermostats continue to be a valuable investment for your home’s energy efficiency.
If you prefer local support for your smart thermostat in West Chester, get in touch with the HVAC experts at Wesley Wood Service Experts. They can help you find the easiest way to disable a stubborn Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.