Smart thermostats are gaining in popularity as more and more homeowners look for ways to cut down on their energy expenses. These devices can be programmed to automatically regulate the temperature of your home based on your regular schedule. They also have the capacity to study your preferences over time. Subsequently, you can cut costs 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 lots of homeowners are delighted with its features and all-around efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–may be making trouble as opposed to assisting your HVAC system. Frequent issues are driving homeowners to research how to shut off this feature. We’ll share the concerns some people are having with Seasonal Savings and provide instructions for how to opt out of the feature.
Many Homeowners Argue the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Correctly
Google built the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners improve their energy efficiency. For peak HVAC use in the summer and winter, it can automatically adjust the thermostat to balance your preferences with energy efficiency. The program is designed to run without getting in the way of your sense of comfort, making the biggest changes when you’re away or asleep. Sadly, this isn’t the case for many people taking part in the program.
In fact, there are reports that the program is sporadic and frustrating to use. Homeowners are noticing that the program is really increasing their energy bills instead of shrinking them. And when they try to disable or opt out of Seasonal Savings, they’ve noticed the option to do so is difficult to find or entirely absent. In some cases people have even observed it being flipped back on after it was disabled.
Smart thermostats are meant to boost the efficiency of your HVAC equipment. While automatic temperature corrections are a customary feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t overrule your favored settings. If a Nest isn't meeting your comfort preferences, opting out of the Seasonal Savings feature is the correct move.
But First, Why Is This A Problem?
Homeowners are concerned that the Seasonal Savings program was running on their Nest thermostat without their approval. Why should a smart thermostat you command brush off your settings and activate the program? It could be because of an energy-efficiency program you signed up for with your utility company.
These agreements help you raise your home’s energy efficiency. They can feature rebates on new products or special promotions for renewable energy products. But many people are surprised to learn they also grant your utility company remote access to the thermostat. If the power grid is under a heavy load, the utility company can take control of your thermostat and turn up the temperature. You might be having problems with the Seasonal Savings program because a utility company is using this remote access.
But what if the setting is faulty or just dismissing your preferences? Whatever the reason could be, you don’t want a feature to raise your energy use without your consent. We’ll walk you through how other people have disabled the Seasonal Savings program.
How to Disable Your Nest Thermostat’s Seasonal Savings Feature
A number of people have reported trouble opting out of the Seasonal Savings feature. While the location of this setting might be different based on your specific Nest model, other users are worried that Google is intentionally making it harder to turn off Seasonal Savings. To ensure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll include the ways other users have had success.
- Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually setting the temperature should override the Seasonal Savings program, but numerous users have observed this isn’t what's happening. If you note your Nest consistently undoing your changes, you’ll probably prefer to disable the feature completely.
- Disabling the setting 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 under Settings. Once disabled, the setting is temporarily off until the next summer or winter.
- Stopping the program from the Nest thermostat: Your thermostat should also provide a History option where you can turn off Seasonal Savings, but some homeowners claim the disable option is missing.
- Opting out before the program starts: The Seasonal Savings program is only obtainable in summer and winter. Your smart device should receive a notification when the program is about to start, giving you the opportunity to opt out.
When Seasonal Savings is live, your Nest should display a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If a Nest is having issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is not visible, your problem might be with yet another setting entirely.
Sometimes the Source Isn’t Seasonal Savings but a Different Setting or Program
Alternative settings on Nest smart thermostats besides Seasonal Savings can cause counterintuitive temperature changes. If these features are active during Seasonal Savings, even shutting off the program may not prevent the thermostat from making adjustments. Thankfully, these settings can be switched off. You’ll also have options if the issue is a third party like your power company.
- Switching off Auto-Schedule: The Nest Thermostat E and Nest Learning Thermostat both give you the Auto-Schedule feature, using their capacity to understand your preferences to establish the ideal schedule. Going into Settings and shutting off Auto-Schedule should stop other automatic changes like Seasonal Savings.
- Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats may still shift to eco temperatures if you use an auto-switching function like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These settings automatically regulate the temperature when the thermostat assumes that no one is around.
- Negating the utility company’s energy agreement: Considering your energy provider could be remotely controlling the Nest thermostat, opting out of the agreement should remove their access. You can locate the complete details of these agreements through your energy provider.
- Calling Google support: If all else fails, calling Google’s technical support might be of help. Staff can steer you to resetting the Nest or finding the appropriate setting to disable Seasonal Savings.
If the Problem Remains, Your Thermostat Could Be Malfunctioning
There’s always the chance your Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical issues or software bugs can cause all kinds of issues, including an aggravating Seasonal Savings program. If you suspect the problem is isolated to your own thermostat, a seasoned technician may be able to help. After all, smart thermostats continue to be a valuable investment for your home’s energy efficiency.
If you’d like local assistance for your smart thermostat in Canada, get in touch with the HVAC professionals at Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning. They can help you figure out the best way to stop a stubborn Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.