Smart thermostats are increasing in popularity as more and more homeowners look for ways to reduce their energy bills. These devices can be programmed to efficiently maintain the temperature at home in line with your regular schedule. They also have the ability to memorize your 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 delighted with its features and all-around efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–might be causing trouble as opposed to helping your HVAC system. Consistent issues are driving homeowners to research how to shut off this feature. We’ll review the trouble some people are having with Seasonal Savings and include instructions for how to opt out of the program.
Many Homeowners Say the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Like It Should
Google developed the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners enhance their energy efficiency. During peak HVAC use in the summer and winter, it can automatically adjust the thermostat to balance your preferences with energy efficiency. The program is expected to run without getting in the way of your sense of comfort, implementing the biggest changes when you’re away or sleeping. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for many people taking part in the program.
Instead, there are reports that the program is inconsistent and difficult to use. Homeowners are complaining that the program is really increasing their energy bills instead of lowering 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 entirely absent. In various cases people have even discovered it being turned back on after it was disabled.
Smart thermostats are supposed to enhance the efficiency of your heating and cooling. While automatic temperature changes are a popular feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t bypass your favored settings. If the Nest refuses to accommodate your comfort preferences, disabling the Seasonal Savings feature is the right move.
But First, Why Is This A Problem?
Homeowners are concerned that the Seasonal Savings setting was started on their Nest thermostat without their permission. Why should a smart thermostat you control overlook your settings and enroll in the program? It may be because of an energy-efficiency agreement you subscribed to with the utility company.
These agreements help you improve your home’s energy efficiency. They can offer rebates on new products or special promotions for renewable energy equipment. But numerous people are alarmed to learn they also grant your utility company remote access to your thermostat. If the power grid is experiencing a heavy load, the utility company can take control of your thermostat and turn up the temperature. You may be having issues with the Seasonal Savings program due to the fact that a utility company is using this remote access.
But what if the feature is malfunctioning or just ignoring your preferences? Whatever the reason is, you don’t want a feature to raise your energy use without your approval. 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 experienced trouble shutting off the Seasonal Savings feature. While the location of this setting could be different based on your specific Nest model, other users are nervous that Google is intentionally making it harder to disable Seasonal Savings. To make sure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll include the ways other users have had success.
- Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually adjusting the temperature should supersede the Seasonal Savings program, but many users have noticed this isn’t the case. If you notice your Nest consistently reversing your changes, you’ll probably opt to shut off the feature completely.
- 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 disable Seasonal Savings, but other people have discovered this option under Settings. Once disabled, the program is temporarily off until the following summer or winter.
- Disabling the program from the Nest thermostat: Your thermostat should also possess a History option where you can opt out of Seasonal Savings, but some homeowners report the disable option is missing.
- Opting out before the program starts: The Seasonal Savings program is only obtainable around summer and winter. Your smart device should receive a notification when the program is about to start, offering you the time to opt out.
When Seasonal Savings is on, 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 absent, your issue could be with a different setting entirely.
Sometimes the Problem Isn’t Seasonal Savings but Another Setting or Program
Other features on Nest smart thermostats apart from Seasonal Savings can cause unwanted temperature changes. If these features are active during Seasonal Savings, even disabling the program may not keep the thermostat from making adjustments. Fortunately, these settings can be disabled. You’ll also have options if the headache is a third party like the power company.
- Turning off Auto-Schedule: The Nest Thermostat E and Nest Learning Thermostat both offer the Auto-Schedule feature, using their capability to understand your preferences to define the best possible schedule. Going into Settings and shutting off Auto-Schedule should prevent other automatic controls like Seasonal Savings.
- Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats might still switch to eco temperatures if you use an auto-switching function like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These settings automatically change the temperature when the thermostat assumes that everyone is out of the house.
- Negating the utility company’s energy agreement: Since your energy provider might be remotely controlling the Nest thermostat, nullifying the agreement should take away their access. You can obtain the full details of these agreements via your energy provider.
- Contacting Google support: If nothing else works, contacting Google’s technical support may be of help. Staff can steer you to resetting the Nest or finding the proper setting to turn off Seasonal Savings.
If the Problem Persists, Your Thermostat Might Be Defective
There’s always the risk your Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical damage or software glitches can cause all sorts of problems, including an obnoxious Seasonal Savings program. If you believe the problem is isolated to your own thermostat, a seasoned technician may be able to help. After all, smart thermostats remain a beneficial investment for your home’s energy efficiency.
If you want local assistance for your smart thermostat in Nashville, get in touch with the comfort experts at Donelson Air Service Experts. They can help you find the best way to switch off an uncooperative Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.