How to Deactivate Your Nest Thermostats Seasonal Savings Program

Smart thermostats are growing in popularity as more and more homeowners seek out ways to cut down on their energy bills. These devices can be programmed to conveniently regulate the temperature at home according to your daily schedule. They also have the means to study any preferences over time. As a result, 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 pleased with its features and overall efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–could be making trouble instead of helping your HVAC system. Persistent issues are pushing homeowners to learn how to shut off this feature. We’ll review the problems some people are having with Seasonal Savings and offer instructions for how to opt out of the setting.

Many Homeowners Say the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Correctly

Google built the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners improve their energy efficiency. Around maximum HVAC use in the summer and winter, it can automatically adjust the thermostat to match your preferences with energy efficiency. The program is expected to run without interrupting your sense of comfort, implementing the biggest changes when you’re away or asleep. Sadly, this isn’t the case for numerous people taking part in the program.

In fact, there are reports that the program is sporadic and irritating to use. Homeowners are concerned that the program is actually increasing their energy bills instead of shrinking them. And when they attempt to disable or opt out of Seasonal Savings, they’ve found the setting to do so is tough to find or outright absent. In some cases people have even discovered it being flipped back on after it was disabled.

Smart thermostats are supposed to increase the efficiency of your heating and cooling. While automatic temperature adjustments are a popular feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t ignore your favored settings. If the Nest isn’t meeting your comfort preferences, opting out of the Seasonal Savings option is the best move.

But First, Why Is This A Problem?

Homeowners are noticing that the Seasonal Savings program was started on their Nest thermostat without their consent. Why can a smart thermostat you operate brush off your settings and enroll in the program? It could be because of an energy-efficiency program you signed up for with your utility company.

These agreements help you improve your home’s energy efficiency. They may include rebates on new products or special discounts for renewable energy equipment. But most people are surprised to hear they also allow 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 turn up the temperature. You may be having trouble with the Seasonal Savings program due to the fact that a utility company is making use of this remote access.

But what if the program is malfunctioning or just dismissing your preferences? Whatever the reason could be, you don’t want a feature to increase your energy use without your permission. We’ll take you step-by-step through how other people have shut off 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 might be different based on your specific Nest model, other users are concerned that Google is purposely making it harder to disable Seasonal Savings. To ensure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll include the ways other users have enjoyed success.

1. 1. Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually setting the temperature should outrank the Seasonal Savings program, but many users have observed this isn’t the case. If you see your Nest repeatedly reversing your changes, you’ll probably prefer to turn off the feature outright.

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

3. 3. Shutting off the program from the Nest thermostat: Your thermostat should also feature a History option where you can turn off Seasonal Savings, but many homeowners state the disable option is not there.

4. 4. Opting out before the program launches: The Seasonal Savings program is only available around summer and winter. Your smart device will receive 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 missing, your trouble might be with another setting entirely.

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

Alternative settings on Nest smart thermostats besides Seasonal Savings can cause counterintuitive temperature changes. If these features are active during Seasonal Savings, even shutting off the program may not deter the thermostat from making alterations. Luckily, these settings can be turned off. You’ll also have options if the problem is a third party like a power company.

5. 5. Shutting off Auto-Schedule: The Nest Thermostat E and Nest Learning Thermostat both give you the Auto-Schedule feature, using their ability to learn your preferences to set the perfect schedule. Going into Settings and turning off Auto-Schedule should prevent other automatic changes such as Seasonal Savings.

1. 1. Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats can still flip to eco temperatures if you use an auto-switching feature like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These functions automatically control the temperature when the thermostat thinks that everyone is out of the house.

6. 6. Negating the utility company’s energy agreement: Considering your energy provider could be remotely controlling your Nest thermostat, opting out of the agreement should get rid of remote access. You can locate the full details of these agreements from your energy provider.

7. 7. Contacting Google support: If everything else fails, calling Google’s technical support may be of help. Staff can point you to resetting the Nest or finding the appropriate setting to turn off Seasonal Savings.

If the Problem Continues, Your Thermostat Could Be Malfunctioning

There’s always the possibility the Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical problems or software glitches can trigger all kinds of trouble, including an aggravating Seasonal Savings program. If you think the problem is isolated to your own thermostat, a skilled technician may be able to help. After all, smart thermostats are still a worthwhile investment for your home’s energy efficiency.

If you need local assistance for your smart thermostat in the U.S., call the heating and cooling experts at Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing. They can help you find the ideal way to switch off an uncooperative Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.