Smart thermostats are growing in popularity as more and more homeowners search for ways to cut down on their energy bills. These systems can be programmed to automatically adjust the temperature inside your home in line with your daily schedule. They also have the capacity to study any preferences over time. As a result, you can cut costs 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 many homeowners are content with its features and all-around efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–may be making trouble as opposed to helping your HVAC system. Lasting issues are pushing homeowners to figure out how to switch off this feature. We’ll present the concerns some people are having with Seasonal Savings and provide instructions for how to opt out of the setting.
Many Homeowners Say the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Well
Google developed the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners boost their energy efficiency. During maximum HVAC use in the summer and winter, it will automatically adjust the thermostat to match your preferences with energy efficiency. The program is intended to run without getting in the way of your sense of comfort, setting up the biggest changes when you’re away or in bed. However, this isn’t the case for numerous people enrolled in the program.
Alternatively, there are reports that the program is contradictory and difficult to use. Homeowners are complaining that the program is really increasing their energy bills instead of reducing them. And when they try to disable or opt out of Seasonal Savings, they’ve discovered the setting to do so is tough to find or just missing. In many cases people have even discovered it being switched back on after it was disabled.
Smart thermostats are expected to strengthen the efficiency of your HVAC equipment. While automatic temperature corrections are a common feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t ignore your favored settings. If the Nest isn't meeting your comfort preferences, shutting off the Seasonal Savings feature is the best move.
But First, Why Is This A Problem?
Homeowners are concerned that the Seasonal Savings feature was activated on their Nest thermostat without their permission. Why can a smart thermostat you command overlook your settings and activate the program? It may be because of an energy-efficiency program 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 promotions for renewable energy equipment. But many people are alarmed 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 take over your thermostat and raise the temperature. You may be having issues with the Seasonal Savings program because a utility company is utilizing this remote access.
But what if the feature is malfunctioning or just disregarding your preferences? Whatever the reason is, you don’t want a feature to increase your energy use without your permission. We’ll take you step-by-step through how other users have turned off the Seasonal Savings program.
How to Disable Your Nest Thermostat’s Seasonal Savings Feature
A number of people have documented trouble disabling the Seasonal Savings feature. While the location of this setting could be different depending on your specific Nest model, other users are concerned that Google is intentionally making it tougher to opt out of Seasonal Savings. To make sure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll list the ways other users have had success.
- Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually setting the temperature should overrule the Seasonal Savings program, but quite a few users have observed this isn’t the case. If you observe your Nest consistently undoing your changes, you’ll probably want to shut off the feature entirely.
- Shutting off the feature from the Nest app: Your phone or tablet’s Nest app ought to have a History option and a Settings option. Google points users to their History to shut off Seasonal Savings, but other homeowners have found this option within Settings. Once disabled, the setting is temporarily off until the subsequent summer or winter.
- Disabling the program from the Nest thermostat: Your thermostat should also feature a History option where you can opt out of Seasonal Savings, but many homeowners claim the disable option is missing.
- Opting out before the program begins: The Seasonal Savings program is only obtainable in summer and winter. Your smart device is supposed to receive a notification when the program is about to launch, allowing you the time to opt out.
When Seasonal Savings is active, your Nest will display a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If your Nest is experiencing issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is missing, your problem may be with yet another setting entirely.
Sometimes the Source Isn’t Seasonal Savings but Another Setting or Program
Additional settings on Nest smart thermostats aside from Seasonal Savings can cause counterintuitive temperature changes. If these settings are active during Seasonal Savings, even opting out of the program may not deter the thermostat from making changes. Thankfully, these settings can be turned off. You’ll also have options if the problem 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 capability to learn your preferences to establish the perfect schedule. Going into Settings and switching off Auto-Schedule should stop other automatic adjustments including Seasonal Savings.
- Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats may still switch to eco temperatures if you use an auto-switching setting like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These settings automatically change the temperature when the thermostat detects that the house is empty.
- Opting out of the utility company’s energy agreement: Since your energy provider might be remotely controlling the Nest thermostat, negating the agreement should get rid of unwanted access. You can locate the full details of these agreements from your energy provider.
- Reaching out to Google support: If all else fails, contacting Google’s technical support could be of service. Staff can steer you to resetting the Nest or locating the appropriate setting to disable Seasonal Savings.
If the Problem Continues, Your Thermostat Might Be Defective
There’s always the risk the Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical issues or software glitches can trigger all sorts of issues, including an aggravating Seasonal Savings program. If you believe the problem is isolated to your personal thermostat, a skilled technician might be able to help. After all, smart thermostats remain a worthwhile investment for your home’s energy efficiency.
If you need local support for your smart thermostat in Louisville, call the comfort experts at Becht/Givens Service Experts. They can help you determine the best way to disable an uncooperative Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.