Smart thermostats are increasing in popularity as more and more homeowners seek out ways to reduce their energy costs. These accessories can be programmed to automatically regulate the temperature in your home in line with your day-to-day schedule. They also have the capacity to memorize any preferences over time. For this reason, you can make big savings on your energy bills by seeing to it that your comfort system is only running when you need it.
Google’s smart thermostat is the Nest, and plenty of homeowners are satisfied with its features and all-around efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–might be causing trouble instead of assisting your HVAC system. Persistent issues are driving homeowners to figure out how to switch off this feature. We’ll present the concerns some people are having with Seasonal Savings and offer instructions for how to opt out of the setting.
Many Homeowners Claim the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Correctly
Google built the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners enhance their energy efficiency. Around peak HVAC use in the summer and winter, it will automatically adjust the thermostat to match your preferences with energy efficiency. The program is expected to run without getting in the way of 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 claims that the program is contradictory and irritating to use. Homeowners are noticing that the program is even increasing their energy bills instead of shrinking them. And when they attempt to disable or opt out of Seasonal Savings, they’ve noticed the way to do so is difficult to find or just absent. In some cases people have even observed it being switched back on after it was disabled.
Smart thermostats are supposed to increase 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 your Nest won’t work with your comfort preferences, opting out of the Seasonal Savings program is the right move.
But First, Why Is This A Problem?
Homeowners are concerned that the Seasonal Savings setting was activated on their Nest thermostat without their approval. Why would a smart thermostat you control brush off your settings and enroll in the program? It could be because of an energy-efficiency program you signed up for with the utility company.
These agreements help you improve your home’s energy efficiency. They can feature rebates on new equipment or special offers for renewable energy products. But many people are shocked to hear they also allow your utility company remote access to the thermostat. If the power grid is under a heavy load, the utility company can override your thermostat and change the temperature. You may be having trouble with the Seasonal Savings program due to the fact that a utility company is using this remote access.
But what if the feature is defective or just dismissing your preferences? Whatever the reason could be, you don’t want a feature to raise your energy use without your approval. We’ll explain how other users have disabled 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 alarmed that Google is purposely making it more difficult to disable Seasonal Savings. To ensure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll include the ways other users have found success.
- Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually adjusting the temperature should overrule the Seasonal Savings program, but numerous users have found this isn’t entirely accurate. If you notice your Nest persistently reversing your changes, you’ll probably want to turn off the feature completely.
- Shutting off the setting from the Nest app: Your phone or tablet’s Nest app is supposed to have a History option and a Settings option. Google guides users to their History to shut off Seasonal Savings, but other people have located this option under Settings. Once disabled, the program is temporarily off until the subsequent summer or winter.
- Disabling the program from the Nest thermostat: Your thermostat should also have a History option where you can disable Seasonal Savings, but some homeowners claim the disable option is not there.
- Opting out before the program begins: The Seasonal Savings program is only available in summer and winter. Your smart device is supposed to receive a notification when the program is about to start, giving you the opportunity to opt out.
When Seasonal Savings is engaged, your Nest will feature a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If a Nest is having issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is not visible, your predicament might be with a different setting entirely.
Sometimes the Issue Isn’t Seasonal Savings but a Different Setting or Program
Other features on Nest smart thermostats apart from Seasonal Savings can result in automatic temperature changes. If these settings are active during Seasonal Savings, even opting out of the program may not prevent the thermostat from making changes. Fortunately, these settings can be disabled. You’ll also have options if the problem 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 capability to understand your preferences to establish the ideal schedule. Going into Settings and turning off Auto-Schedule should prevent other automatic adjustments such as Seasonal Savings.
- Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats will still switch to eco temperatures if you use an auto-switching feature like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These settings automatically control the temperature when the thermostat detects that no one is home.
- Opting out of the utility company’s energy agreement: Since your energy provider might be remotely controlling a Nest thermostat, nullifying the agreement should remove unwanted access. You can locate the complete details of these agreements through your energy provider.
- Calling Google support: If everything else fails, calling Google’s technical support might be of assistance. Staff can steer you to resetting the Nest or finding the appropriate setting to turn off Seasonal Savings.
If the Problem Continues, Your Thermostat Might Be Defective
There’s always the risk your Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical damage or software glitches can result in all types of problems, including an obnoxious Seasonal Savings program. If you suspect the problem is isolated to your specific thermostat, an experienced technician will be able to help. After all, smart thermostats continue to be a worthwhile investment for your home’s energy efficiency.
If you prefer local support for your smart thermostat in Clearwater, contact the HVAC professionals at Midway Services. They can help you find the best way to stop a stubborn Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.