How to Shut Off Your Nest Thermostats Seasonal Savings Program

Smart thermostats are increasing in popularity as more and more homeowners seek out ways to lower their energy costs. These systems can be programmed to efficiently regulate the temperature of your home in line with your daily schedule. They also have the capacity to memorize any preferences over time. Subsequently, you can save money on your energy bills by making sure that your HVAC system is only on when you need it.

Google’s smart thermostat is the Nest, and numerous homeowners are happy with its features and general efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–could be stirring up trouble as opposed to helping your HVAC system. Persistent issues are forcing homeowners to figure out how to disable this feature. We’ll present the problems some people are having with Seasonal Savings and include instructions for how to opt out of the feature.

Many Homeowners Allege the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Correctly

Google designed the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners enhance their energy efficiency. Around peak HVAC use in the summer and winter, it should automatically adjust the thermostat to satisfy your preferences with energy efficiency. The program is designed to run without interrupting your sense of comfort, setting up the biggest changes when you’re away or in bed. However, this isn’t the case for many people taking part in the program.

In fact, there are claims that the program is sporadic and irritating to use. Homeowners are noticing that the program is actually increasing their energy bills instead of lowering them. And when they decide to disable or opt out of Seasonal Savings, they’ve found the way to do so is tough to find or entirely absent. In several cases people have even discovered it being switched back on after it was disabled.

Smart thermostats are designed to boost the efficiency of your heating and cooling. While automatic temperature adjustments are a common feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t bypass your desired settings. If the Nest isn’t meeting your comfort preferences, opting out of the Seasonal Savings program is the correct move.

But First, Why Is This Happening?

Homeowners are complaining that the Seasonal Savings feature was started on their Nest thermostat without their consent. Why should a smart thermostat you operate dismiss your settings and activate the program? It might be because of an energy-efficiency agreement you subscribed to with your utility company.

These agreements help you boost your home’s energy efficiency. They can offer rebates on new products or special offers for renewable energy products. But numerous people are surprised to learn they also grant 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 could be having trouble with the Seasonal Savings program because a utility company is making use of this remote access.

But what if the program is malfunctioning or just disregarding 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 homeowners have switched off the Seasonal Savings program.

How to Disable Your Nest Thermostat’s Seasonal Savings Feature

A number of people have experienced trouble opting out of the Seasonal Savings feature. While the location of this setting may be different depending on your specific Nest model, other users are nervous that Google is deliberately making it more difficult to disable Seasonal Savings. To make sure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll describe the ways other users have found success.

1. 1. Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually changing the temperature should override the Seasonal Savings program, but quite a few users have discovered this isn’t the case. If you observe your Nest persistently ignoring your changes, you’ll probably prefer to disable the feature completely.

2. 2. Opting out of the program from the Nest app: Your phone or tablet’s Nest app ought to have a History option and a Settings option. Google directs users to their History to switch off Seasonal Savings, but other users have located this option under Settings. Once disabled, the setting is temporarily off until the following summer or winter.

3. 3. Disabling the program from the Nest thermostat: Your thermostat should also feature a History option where you can turn off Seasonal Savings, but some homeowners state the disable option is absent.

4. 4. Opting out before the program begins: 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, giving you the time to opt out.

When Seasonal Savings is running, your Nest will show a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If your Nest is struggling with 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 features on Nest smart thermostats apart from Seasonal Savings can lead to unwanted temperature changes. If these options are active during Seasonal Savings, even disabling the program may not keep the thermostat from making adjustments. Luckily, these settings can be turned off. You’ll also have options if the headache is a third party like the power company.

5. 5. Switching off Auto-Schedule: The Nest Thermostat E and Nest Learning Thermostat both offer the Auto-Schedule feature, using their capability to learn your preferences to establish the perfect schedule. Going into Settings and turning off Auto-Schedule should prevent other automatic controls like Seasonal Savings.

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

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

7. 7. Contacting Google support: If everything else fails, contacting Google’s technical support might be of assistance. Staff can steer you to resetting the Nest or determining the correct setting to shut off Seasonal Savings.

If the Problem Persists, Your Thermostat Could Be Malfunctioning

There’s always the chance a Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical problems or software bugs can result in all kinds of issues, including an obnoxious Seasonal Savings program. If you suspect the problem is isolated to your specific thermostat, an experienced technician might be able to help. After all, smart thermostats continue to be a valuable investment for your home’s energy efficiency.

If you prefer local support for your smart thermostat in the U.S., contact the HVAC professionals at Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing. They can help you find the best way to stop a stubborn Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.