How to Shut Off Your Nest Thermostats Seasonal Savings Program

Smart thermostats are increasing in popularity as more and more homeowners look for ways to cut down on their energy costs. These accessories can be programmed to efficiently regulate the temperature in your home based on your day-to-day schedule. They also have the capacity to memorize any preferences over time. As a result, you can save money on your energy bills by seeing to it that your HVAC system is only on when you need it.

Google’s smart thermostat is the Nest, and many homeowners are satisfied with its features and all-around efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–could be causing trouble as opposed to helping your HVAC system. Persistent issues are forcing homeowners to look for how to disable this feature. We’ll review the trouble some people are having with Seasonal Savings and include instructions for how to opt out of the setting.

Many Homeowners Say the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Like It Should

Google designed 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 supposed to run without disrupting your sense of comfort, setting up the biggest changes when you’re away or asleep. However, this isn’t the case for numerous people taking part in the program.

Instead, there are claims that the program is contradictory and annoying to use. Homeowners are noticing that the program is actually increasing their energy bills instead of lowering them. And when they attempt to disable or opt out of Seasonal Savings, they’ve discovered the setting to do so is tough to find or downright missing. In some cases people have even noted it being switched back on after it was disabled.

Smart thermostats are designed to strengthen the efficiency of your HVAC equipment. While automatic temperature adjustments are a popular feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t override your desired settings. If a Nest won’t work with your comfort preferences, shutting off the Seasonal Savings feature is the right move.

But First, Why Is This Happening?

Homeowners are claiming that the Seasonal Savings program was activated on their Nest thermostat without their approval. Why should a smart thermostat you command dismiss your settings and enroll in the program? It may be because of an energy-efficiency program you registered for with a utility company.

These agreements help you enhance your home’s energy efficiency. They may feature rebates on new accessories or special promotions for renewable energy products. But numerous people are shocked to hear they also permit 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 adjust the temperature. You may be having issues 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 defective or just ignoring your preferences? Whatever the reason might be, you don’t want a feature to increase your energy use without your approval. We’ll walk you 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 documented trouble disabling the Seasonal Savings feature. While the location of this setting may be different based on your specific Nest model, other users are alarmed that Google is intentionally making it harder to opt out of Seasonal Savings. To make sure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll include the ways other users have had success.

1. 1. Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually setting the temperature should supersede the Seasonal Savings program, but quite a few users have found this isn’t entirely accurate. If you notice your Nest constantly undoing your changes, you’ll probably opt to shut off the feature completely.

2. 2. Opting out of the program from the Nest app: Your phone or tablet’s Nest app is supposed to have a History option and a Settings option. Google points users to their History to turn off Seasonal Savings, but other users have found this option in Settings. Once disabled, the program is temporarily off until the next summer or winter.

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

4. 4. Opting out before the program begins: The Seasonal Savings program is only available during summer and winter. Your smart device should receive a notification when the program is about to start, offering you the chance to opt out.

When Seasonal Savings is engaged, your Nest should feature 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 yet another setting entirely.

Sometimes the Issue Isn’t Seasonal Savings but Another Setting or Program

Other settings on Nest smart thermostats aside from Seasonal Savings can lead to counterintuitive temperature changes. If these settings are active during Seasonal Savings, even opting out of the program may not deter the thermostat from making adjustments. Thankfully, these settings can be turned off. You’ll also have options if the headache is a third party like a power company.

5. 5. Shutting off Auto-Schedule: The Nest Thermostat E and Nest Learning Thermostat both extend the Auto-Schedule feature, using their capability to learn your preferences to set the best possible schedule. Going into Settings and turning off Auto-Schedule should stop other automatic adjustments such as Seasonal Savings.

1. 1. Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats can still swap to eco temperatures if you possess an auto-switching setting like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These functions automatically adjust the temperature when the thermostat detects that no one is around.

6. 6. Opting out of the utility company’s energy agreement: Considering your energy provider could be remotely controlling a Nest thermostat, nullifying the agreement should remove unwanted access. You can locate the complete details of these agreements via your energy provider.

7. 7. Reaching out to Google support: If nothing else works, calling Google’s technical support may be of assistance. Staff can steer you to resetting the Nest or locating the proper setting to disable Seasonal Savings.

If the Problem Continues, Your Thermostat Could Be Faulty

There’s always the chance your Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical issues or software glitches can cause all types of trouble, including an obnoxious Seasonal Savings program. If you think the problem is isolated to your personal thermostat, a seasoned technician will be able to help. After all, smart thermostats continue to be a beneficial investment for your home’s energy efficiency.

If you want local assistance for your smart thermostat in the U.S., contact the heating and cooling specialists at Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing. They can help you find out the easiest way to stop an uncooperative Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.