Smart thermostats are growing in popularity as more and more homeowners seek out ways to lower their energy expenses. These devices can be programmed to automatically maintain the temperature in your home in line with your daily schedule. They also have the means to learn comfort preferences over time. Subsequently, you can save money 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 lots of homeowners are pleased with its features and general efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–could be making trouble instead of helping your HVAC system. Persistent issues are driving homeowners to look for how to switch off this feature. We’ll share the problems some people are having with Seasonal Savings and offer instructions for how to opt out of the feature.
Many Homeowners Allege the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Correctly
Google developed the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners increase their energy efficiency. For the highest 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, setting up the biggest changes when you’re away or asleep. Sadly, this isn’t the case for many people participating in the program.
Instead, there are reports that the program is contradictory and frustrating to use. Homeowners are concerned that the program is actually increasing their energy bills instead of lowering them. And when they try to disable or opt out of Seasonal Savings, they’ve found the setting to do so is hard to find or entirely missing. In some cases people have even observed it being turned back on after it was disabled.
Smart thermostats are expected to strengthen the efficiency of your heating and cooling. While automatic temperature corrections are a widespread feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t override your favored settings. If a Nest won’t work with your comfort preferences, disabling the Seasonal Savings program 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 authorization. Why can a smart thermostat you operate brush off your settings and enroll in the program? It might be because of an energy-efficiency program you subscribed to with the utility company.
These agreements help you enhance your home’s energy efficiency. They will sometimes offer rebates on new equipment or special promotions for renewable energy systems. But most people are alarmed to hear they also permit your utility company remote access to the thermostat. If the power grid is experiencing a heavy load, the utility company can take over your thermostat and adjust the temperature. You might be having issues with the Seasonal Savings program because a utility company is taking advantage of this remote access.
But what if the setting is faulty or just ignoring your preferences? Whatever the reason may be, you don’t want a feature to increase your energy use without your consent. We’ll share 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 according to your specific Nest model, other users are concerned that Google is intentionally making it harder to turn off Seasonal Savings. To make sure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll describe the ways other users have enjoyed success.
- Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually adjusting the temperature should outrank the Seasonal Savings program, but numerous users have found this isn’t what's happening. If you note your Nest consistently ignoring your changes, you’ll probably opt to turn off the feature entirely.
- Disabling the setting from the Nest app: Your phone or tablet’s Nest app should have a History option and a Settings option. Google directs users to their History to switch off Seasonal Savings, but other people have discovered 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 possess a History option where you can turn off Seasonal Savings, but many homeowners state the disable option is gone.
- Opting out before the program launches: The Seasonal Savings program is only obtainable during summer and winter. Your smart device should receive a notification when the program is about to start, allowing you the chance to opt out.
When Seasonal Savings is on, your Nest is supposed to display a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If your Nest is struggling with issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is not visible, your trouble may be with yet another setting entirely.
Sometimes the Source Isn’t Seasonal Savings but Another Setting or Program
Alternative settings on Nest smart thermostats apart from Seasonal Savings can cause automatic temperature changes. If these settings are active during Seasonal Savings, even opting out of the program may not deter the thermostat from making adjustments. Luckily, these settings can be switched off. You’ll also have options if the headache is a third party like your power company.
- Turning 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 shutting off Auto-Schedule should prevent other automatic controls like Seasonal Savings.
- Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats will still shift to eco temperatures if you possess an auto-switching function like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These settings automatically control the temperature when the thermostat detects that everyone is out of the house.
- Opting out of the utility company’s energy agreement: Since your energy provider may be remotely controlling your Nest thermostat, negating the agreement should get rid of remote access. You can find the full details of these agreements through your energy provider.
- Reaching out to Google support: If all else fails, reaching out to Google’s technical support may be of assistance. Staff can direct you to resetting the Nest or locating the proper setting to disable Seasonal Savings.
If the Problem Remains, Your Thermostat Could Be Malfunctioning
There’s always the possibility a Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical damage or software bugs can result in all sorts of problems, including an inconsistent Seasonal Savings program. If you believe the problem is isolated to your personal thermostat, a seasoned technician may be able to help. After all, smart thermostats are still a valuable investment for your home’s energy efficiency.
If you need local service for your smart thermostat in Jacksonville, get in touch with the HVAC experts at Air Engineers Service Experts. They can help you figure out the best way to stop an uncooperative Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.