Smart thermostats are increasing in popularity as more and more homeowners look for ways to cut down on their energy costs. These devices can be programmed to efficiently adjust the temperature at home in line with your regular schedule. They also have the capacity to learn these 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 plenty of homeowners are satisfied with its features and all-around efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–may be making trouble as opposed to improving your HVAC system. Frequent issues are pushing homeowners to figure out how to disable this feature. We’ll share the problems some people are having with Seasonal Savings and provide instructions for how to opt out of the setting.
Many Homeowners Claim the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Correctly
Google designed the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners boost their energy efficiency. Around 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 disrupting your sense of comfort, implementing the biggest changes when you’re away or asleep. Sadly, this isn’t the case for lots of people participating in the program.
Instead, there are reports that the program is sporadic and difficult to use. Homeowners are complaining that the program is actually increasing their energy bills instead of shrinking them. And when they decide to disable or opt out of Seasonal Savings, they’ve noticed the setting to do so is difficult to find or outright missing. In many cases people have even noted it being switched back on after it was disabled.
Smart thermostats are designed to enhance the efficiency of your heating and cooling. While automatic temperature adjustments are a popular feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t ignore your favored settings. If your Nest refuses to accommodate your comfort preferences, shutting off the Seasonal Savings program is the best move.
But First, Why Is This Happening?
Homeowners are noticing that the Seasonal Savings program was activated on their Nest thermostat without their authorization. Why would a smart thermostat you operate overlook your settings and opt in for the program? It could be because of an energy-efficiency program you registered for with the utility company.
These agreements help you improve your home’s energy efficiency. They will sometimes include rebates on new equipment or special promotions for renewable energy systems. But numerous people are surprised to find out 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 take control of your thermostat and raise the temperature. You could be having trouble with the Seasonal Savings program because a utility company is utilizing this remote access.
But what if the setting is faulty or just dismissing 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 people have disabled the Seasonal Savings program.
How to Disable Your Nest Thermostat’s Seasonal Savings Feature
A number of people have experienced trouble shutting off the Seasonal Savings feature. While the location of this setting could be different depending on your specific Nest model, other users are alarmed that Google is intentionally making it more difficult to opt out of Seasonal Savings. To make sure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll include the ways other users have had success.
- Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually adjusting the temperature should overrule the Seasonal Savings program, but numerous users have noticed this isn’t the case. If you note your Nest consistently undoing your changes, you’ll probably prefer to disable the feature entirely.
- Shutting off the program 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 switch off Seasonal Savings, but other people have located this option in Settings. Once disabled, the program is temporarily off until the subsequent summer or winter.
- Shutting off the program from the Nest thermostat: Your thermostat should also display a History option where you can turn off Seasonal Savings, but some homeowners report the disable option is absent.
- Opting out before the program begins: The Seasonal Savings program is only obtainable around summer and winter. Your smart device will receive a notification when the program is about to launch, giving you the opportunity to opt out.
When Seasonal Savings is on, your Nest is supposed to show a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If the Nest is having issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is not visible, your problem may be with yet another setting entirely.
Sometimes the Problem Isn’t Seasonal Savings but Another Setting or Program
Other features on Nest smart thermostats besides Seasonal Savings can lead to unwanted temperature changes. If these settings are active during Seasonal Savings, even opting out of 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 your power company.
- Switching 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 prevent other automatic changes such as Seasonal Savings.
- Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats can still swap to eco temperatures if you use an auto-switching function like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These features automatically adjust the temperature when the thermostat thinks that everyone is out of the house.
- Opting out of the utility company’s energy agreement: Since your energy provider could be remotely controlling the Nest thermostat, nullifying the agreement should get rid of their access. You can locate the complete details of these agreements through your energy provider.
- Reaching out to Google support: If all else fails, reaching out to Google’s technical support could be of help. Staff can lead you to resetting the Nest or determining the correct setting to turn off Seasonal Savings.
If the Problem Remains, Your Thermostat Might Be Defective
There’s always the possibility a Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical issues or software glitches can result in all sorts of problems, including an inconsistent Seasonal Savings program. If you think the problem is isolated to your specific thermostat, a seasoned technician may be able to help. After all, smart thermostats continue to be a beneficial investment for your home’s energy efficiency.
If you want local assistance for your smart thermostat in Miami, contact the heating and cooling experts at Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning. They can help you find out the ideal way to switch off an uncooperative Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.