Smart thermostats are increasing in popularity as more and more homeowners look for ways to scale back their energy bills. These accessories can be programmed to automatically adjust the temperature at home in line with your day-to-day schedule. They also have the ability to learn these preferences over time. For this reason, you can make big savings on your energy bills by making sure that your home is only heated or cooled when you need it.
Google’s smart thermostat is the Nest, and plenty of homeowners are satisfied with its features and general efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–may be causing trouble rather than supporting your HVAC system. Frequent issues are driving homeowners to research how to disable this feature. We’ll present the issues some people are having with Seasonal Savings and include instructions for how to opt out of the feature.
Many Homeowners Argue the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Like It Should
Google designed the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners increase their energy efficiency. For the highest HVAC use in the summer and winter, it is supposed to automatically adjust the thermostat to satisfy your preferences with energy efficiency. The program is designed to run without disrupting your sense of comfort, making the biggest changes when you’re away or asleep. Sadly, this isn’t the case for lots of people participating in the program.
Alternatively, there are reports that the program is contradictory and irritating to use. Homeowners are noticing that the program is even increasing their energy bills instead of reducing them. And when they decide to disable or opt out of Seasonal Savings, they’ve discovered the setting to do so is difficult to find or entirely absent. In various cases people have even noticed it being switched back on after it was disabled.
Smart thermostats are intended to increase the efficiency of your HVAC equipment. While automatic temperature changes are a widespread feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t override your favored settings. If a Nest won’t work with your comfort preferences, shutting off the Seasonal Savings option is the right move.
But First, Why Is This A Problem?
Homeowners are claiming that the Seasonal Savings setting was running on their Nest thermostat without their permission. Why would a smart thermostat you operate neglect your settings and enroll in the program? It could be because of an energy-efficiency program you subscribed to with the utility company.
These agreements help you increase your home’s energy efficiency. They can feature rebates on new accessories or special promotions for renewable energy systems. But many people are surprised to hear they also allow your utility company remote access to your thermostat. If the power grid is struggling with a heavy load, the utility company can control your thermostat and turn up the temperature. You may well be having issues with the Seasonal Savings program because a utility company is using this remote access.
But what if the program is malfunctioning or just disregarding your preferences? Whatever the reason may be, you don’t want a feature to double your energy use without your permission. We’ll explain how other homeowners have shut off the Seasonal Savings program.
How to Disable Your Nest Thermostat’s Seasonal Savings Feature
A number of people have disclosed trouble opting out of the Seasonal Savings feature. While the location of this setting might be different according to your specific Nest model, other users are nervous that Google is intentionally making it more difficult to disable Seasonal Savings. To ensure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll list the ways other users have enjoyed success.
- Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually changing the temperature should override the Seasonal Savings program, but many users have found this isn’t the case. If you note your Nest constantly ignoring your changes, you’ll probably want to disable the feature entirely.
- Shutting off the setting from the Nest app: Your phone or tablet’s Nest app should have a History option and a Settings option. Google guides users to their History to turn off Seasonal Savings, but other people have found this option in Settings. Once disabled, the setting is temporarily off until the next summer or winter.
- Disabling the program from the Nest thermostat: Your thermostat should also provide a History option where you can opt out of Seasonal Savings, but some homeowners claim the disable option is absent.
- Opting out before the program launches: The Seasonal Savings program is only available in summer and winter. Your smart device will receive a notification when the program is about to start, allowing you the opportunity to opt out.
When Seasonal Savings is engaged, your Nest should display a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If a Nest is struggling with issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is not visible, your issue might be with yet another setting entirely.
Sometimes the Problem Isn’t Seasonal Savings but Another Setting or Program
Other features on Nest smart thermostats aside from Seasonal Savings can lead to automatic temperature changes. If these options are active during Seasonal Savings, even shutting off the program may not deter the thermostat from making adjustments. Fortunately, these settings can be switched off. You’ll also have options if the issue is a third party like the power company.
- Shutting off Auto-Schedule: The Nest Thermostat E and Nest Learning Thermostat both extend the Auto-Schedule feature, using their ability to study your preferences to establish the perfect schedule. Going into Settings and turning off Auto-Schedule should stop other automatic changes such as Seasonal Savings.
- Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats can still shift to eco temperatures if you use an auto-switching setting like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These functions automatically control the temperature when the thermostat assumes that no one is home.
- Opting out of the utility company’s energy agreement: Because your energy provider may be remotely controlling a Nest thermostat, nullifying the agreement should get rid of their access. You can locate the full details of these agreements from your energy provider.
- Calling Google support: If all else fails, contacting Google’s technical support might be of assistance. Staff can lead you to resetting the Nest or finding the proper setting to switch off Seasonal Savings.
If the Problem Continues, Your Thermostat Could Be Faulty
There’s always the risk your Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical issues or software glitches can cause all types of trouble, including an aggravating Seasonal Savings program. If you think the problem is isolated to your specific thermostat, a seasoned technician will be able to help. After all, smart thermostats remain a valuable investment for your home’s energy efficiency.
If you prefer local assistance for your smart thermostat in Long Island, contact the HVAC professionals at Matz-Rightway. They can help you determine the easiest way to switch off a stubborn Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.