Smart thermostats are increasing in popularity as more and more homeowners search for ways to reduce their energy costs. These accessories can be programmed to automatically adjust the temperature of your home based on your day-to-day schedule. They also have the ability to learn comfort preferences over time. Subsequently, you can cut costs on your energy bills by seeing to it that your home is only heated or cooled when you need it.
Google’s smart thermostat is the Nest, and numerous homeowners are content with its features and overall efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–may be making trouble rather than helping your HVAC system. Consistent issues are forcing homeowners to research 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 feature.
Many Homeowners Argue the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Like It Should
Google built the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners increase their energy efficiency. For maximum HVAC use in the summer and winter, it can automatically adjust the thermostat to satisfy your preferences with energy efficiency. The program is supposed to run without interrupting your sense of comfort, setting up the biggest changes when you’re away or asleep. 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 noticing 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 noticed the option to do so is hard to find or downright absent. In some cases people have even observed it being flipped back on after it was disabled.
Smart thermostats are expected to strengthen the efficiency of your heating and cooling. While automatic temperature changes are a common feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t override your preferred settings. If a Nest isn't meeting your comfort preferences, shutting off the Seasonal Savings program is the best move.
But First, Why Is This A Problem?
Homeowners are complaining that the Seasonal Savings program was activated on their Nest thermostat without their permission. Why would a smart thermostat you control overlook your settings and activate the program? It may be because of an energy-efficiency program you registered for with the utility company.
These agreements help you enhance your home’s energy efficiency. They can come with rebates on new accessories or special discounts for renewable energy products. But many people are alarmed to find out 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 control of your thermostat and change 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 feature is faulty 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 people have shut 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 may be different based on your specific Nest model, other users are nervous that Google is deliberately making it harder to turn off Seasonal Savings. To ensure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll describe the ways other users have had success.
- Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually changing the temperature should supersede the Seasonal Savings program, but many users have discovered this isn’t entirely accurate. If you observe your Nest persistently ignoring your changes, you’ll probably want to shut off the feature entirely.
- Shutting off the setting 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 homeowners have located this option in Settings. Once disabled, the feature is temporarily off until the subsequent summer or winter.
- Stopping the program from the Nest thermostat: Your thermostat should also possess a History option where you can turn off Seasonal Savings, but some homeowners claim the disable option is not there.
- Opting out before the program begins: 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, giving you the time 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 not visible, your predicament may be with another setting entirely.
Sometimes the Source Isn’t Seasonal Savings but Another Setting or Program
Different features on Nest smart thermostats aside from Seasonal Savings can cause counterintuitive temperature changes. If these features are active during Seasonal Savings, even shutting off the program may not deter the thermostat from making changes. Fortunately, these settings can be disabled. 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 learn your preferences to establish the perfect schedule. Going into Settings and turning off Auto-Schedule should stop other automatic adjustments such as Seasonal Savings.
- Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats will still shift to eco temperatures if you have an auto-switching feature like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These settings automatically control the temperature when the thermostat thinks that no one is home.
- Negating the utility company’s energy agreement: Because your energy provider could be remotely controlling your Nest thermostat, opting out of the agreement should take away unwanted access. You can locate the complete details of these agreements via your energy provider.
- Reaching out to Google support: If all else fails, contacting Google’s technical support may be of assistance. Staff can guide you to resetting the Nest or locating the proper setting to turn off Seasonal Savings.
If the Problem Continues, Your Thermostat Could Be Defective
There’s always the possibility the Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical damage or software bugs can cause all types of issues, including an aggravating Seasonal Savings program. If you suspect the problem is isolated to your specific thermostat, a skilled technician might be able to help. After all, smart thermostats continue to be a worthwhile investment for your home’s energy efficiency.
If you prefer local assistance for your smart thermostat in Denver, call the comfort professionals at Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning. They can help you figure out the ideal way to shut off an uncooperative Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.