Smart thermostats are increasing in popularity as more and more homeowners seek out ways to scale back their energy bills. These devices can be programmed to automatically maintain the temperature at home in line with your day-to-day schedule. They also have the means to memorize comfort preferences over time. Subsequently, you can make big savings 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 pleased with its features and general efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–may be stirring up trouble rather than improving your HVAC system. Constant issues are pushing homeowners to learn how to switch off this feature. We’ll review the concerns some people are having with Seasonal Savings and include instructions for how to opt out of the program.
Many Homeowners Claim the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Like It Should
Google built the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners improve their energy efficiency. Around the highest HVAC use in the summer and winter, it can automatically adjust the thermostat to satisfy 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 in bed. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for numerous people enrolled in the program.
In fact, there are claims that the program is inconsistent and annoying to use. Homeowners are concerned that the program is actually increasing their energy bills instead of reducing them. And when they decide to disable or opt out of Seasonal Savings, they’ve noticed the way to do so is difficult to find or outright absent. In some cases people have even noticed it being flipped back on after it was disabled.
Smart thermostats are supposed to improve the efficiency of your HVAC system. While automatic temperature corrections are a widespread feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t override your favored settings. If a Nest refuses to accommodate your comfort preferences, opting out of the Seasonal Savings option is the correct move.
But First, Why Is This Going On?
Homeowners are noticing that the Seasonal Savings setting was running on their Nest thermostat without their approval. Why can a smart thermostat you command overlook your settings and activate the program? It might be because of an energy-efficiency agreement you subscribed to with a utility company.
These agreements help you raise your home’s energy efficiency. They will sometimes offer rebates on new products or special offers for renewable energy equipment. But many people are alarmed 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 raise the temperature. You may well be having trouble with the Seasonal Savings program due to the fact that a utility company is using this remote access.
But what if the program is defective or just disregarding your preferences? Whatever the reason may be, you don’t want a feature to increase your energy use without your approval. We’ll review how other homeowners have opted out of the Seasonal Savings program.
How to Disable Your Nest Thermostat’s Seasonal Savings Feature
A number of people have documented 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 nervous 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 enjoyed success.
- Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually adjusting the temperature should override the Seasonal Savings program, but quite a few users have found this isn’t entirely accurate. If you note your Nest constantly ignoring your changes, you’ll probably want to turn off the feature outright.
- Opting out of the feature 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 users have found this option under Settings. Once disabled, the feature 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 opt out of Seasonal Savings, but many homeowners state the disable option is not there.
- Opting out before the program starts: The Seasonal Savings program is only available during summer and winter. Your smart device will get a notification when the program is about to launch, allowing you the chance to opt out.
When Seasonal Savings is active, your Nest will feature a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If a Nest is having issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is not visible, your trouble could be with another setting entirely.
Sometimes the Problem Isn’t Seasonal Savings but a Different Setting or Program
Different features on Nest smart thermostats apart from Seasonal Savings can result in counterintuitive temperature changes. If these settings are active during Seasonal Savings, even disabling the program may not deter the thermostat from making adjustments. Fortunately, these settings can be turned off. You’ll also have options if the headache is a third party like your power company.
- Shutting off Auto-Schedule: The Nest Thermostat E and Nest Learning Thermostat both extend the Auto-Schedule feature, using their capacity to learn your preferences to define the best possible schedule. Going into Settings and switching off Auto-Schedule should prevent 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 settings automatically regulate the temperature when the thermostat assumes that everyone is out of the house.
- Opting out of the utility company’s energy agreement: Because your energy provider could be remotely controlling the Nest thermostat, cancelling the agreement should get rid of remote access. You can find the complete details of these agreements with your energy provider.
- Contacting Google support: If nothing else works, contacting Google’s technical support could be of assistance. Staff can direct you to resetting the Nest or locating the correct setting to turn off Seasonal Savings.
If the Problem Remains, Your Thermostat May Be Malfunctioning
There’s always the possibility a Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical damage or software bugs can result in all sorts of trouble, including an inconsistent Seasonal Savings program. If you believe the problem is isolated to your own thermostat, a knowledgeable technician may be able to help. After all, smart thermostats are still a beneficial investment for your home’s energy efficiency.
If you’d like local assistance for your smart thermostat in Philadelphia, contact the comfort specialists at Stallion Heating Plumbing Air Conditioning. They can help you find out the ideal way to switch off an uncooperative Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.