Smart thermostats are increasing in popularity as more and more homeowners look for ways to lower their energy costs. These devices can be programmed to automatically adjust the temperature at home in line with your weekly schedule. They also have the capacity to learn your preferences over time. As a result, you can make big savings 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 delighted with its features and all-around efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–may be stirring up trouble as opposed to improving your HVAC system. Lasting issues are forcing homeowners to look for how to switch off this feature. We’ll present the issues some people are having with Seasonal Savings and offer instructions for how to opt out of the program.
Many Homeowners Argue the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Like It Should
Google designed the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners improve their energy efficiency. During maximum 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 disrupting your sense of comfort, making the biggest changes when you’re away or in bed. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for lots of people participating in the program.
Alternatively, there are claims that the program is sporadic and frustrating to use. Homeowners are noticing that the program is actually increasing their energy bills instead of lowering 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 outright missing. In some cases people have even noticed it being flipped back on after it was disabled.
Smart thermostats are designed to increase the efficiency of your HVAC equipment. While automatic temperature adjustments are a customary feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t bypass your preferred settings. If your Nest isn't meeting your comfort preferences, disabling the Seasonal Savings program is the right move.
But First, Why Is This Happening?
Homeowners are complaining that the Seasonal Savings program was started on their Nest thermostat without their approval. Why can a smart thermostat you control dismiss your settings and opt in for the program? It might be because of an energy-efficiency agreement you subscribed to with your utility company.
These agreements help you raise your home’s energy efficiency. They will sometimes feature rebates on new accessories or special offers for renewable energy equipment. But many people are surprised to find out they also grant 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 raise the temperature. You may well be having problems with the Seasonal Savings program due to the fact that a utility company is utilizing this remote access.
But what if the setting is malfunctioning or just ignoring your preferences? Whatever the reason may be, you don’t want a feature to double your energy use without your approval. We’ll take you step-by-step through how other homeowners have opted out of the Seasonal Savings program.
How to Disable Your Nest Thermostat’s Seasonal Savings Feature
A number of people have experienced trouble shutting off the Seasonal Savings feature. While the location of this setting may be different according to your specific Nest model, other users are alarmed that Google is deliberately making it more difficult to disable Seasonal Savings. To ensure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll list the ways other users have found success.
- Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually adjusting the temperature should supersede the Seasonal Savings program, but numerous users have observed this isn’t what's happening. If you see your Nest persistently reversing your changes, you’ll probably prefer to turn off the feature completely.
- Opting out of the program 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 homeowners have found this option within Settings. Once disabled, the setting is temporarily off until the subsequent summer or winter.
- Shutting off the program from the Nest thermostat: Your thermostat should also provide a History option where you can disable Seasonal Savings, but many homeowners report the disable option is absent.
- Opting out before the program starts: The Seasonal Savings program is only accessible during summer and winter. Your smart device will receive a notification when the program is about to launch, offering you the chance to opt out.
When Seasonal Savings is on, your Nest is supposed to feature a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If a Nest is having issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is absent, your problem might be with a different setting entirely.
Sometimes the Problem Isn’t Seasonal Savings but Another Setting or Program
Other settings on Nest smart thermostats apart from Seasonal Savings can cause automatic temperature changes. If these features are active during Seasonal Savings, even opting out of the program may not prevent the thermostat from making changes. Luckily, these settings can be turned off. You’ll also have options if the issue is a third party like a power company.
- Shutting off Auto-Schedule: The Nest Thermostat E and Nest Learning Thermostat both give you the Auto-Schedule feature, using their ability to understand your preferences to define the ideal schedule. Going into Settings and shutting off Auto-Schedule should prevent other automatic adjustments including Seasonal Savings.
- Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats may still shift to eco temperatures if you possess an auto-switching feature like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These settings automatically control the temperature when the thermostat assumes that no one is home.
- Leaving the utility company’s energy agreement: Considering your energy provider could be remotely controlling your Nest thermostat, cancelling the agreement should take away their access. You can obtain the full details of these agreements from your energy provider.
- Reaching out to Google support: If everything else fails, contacting Google’s technical support could be of assistance. Staff can point you to resetting the Nest or finding the correct setting to turn off Seasonal Savings.
If the Problem Continues, Your Thermostat Might Be Defective
There’s always the possibility the Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical problems or software bugs can result in all types of trouble, including an aggravating Seasonal Savings program. If you think the problem is isolated to your specific thermostat, a seasoned technician might be able to help. After all, smart thermostats are still a worthwhile investment for your home’s energy efficiency.
If you want local service for your smart thermostat in Houston, contact the comfort specialists at Church Services. They can help you find out the easiest way to switch off a stubborn Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.