How to Shut Off Your Nest Thermostats Seasonal Savings Program

Smart thermostats are increasing in popularity as more and more homeowners look for ways to cut down on their energy expenses. These accessories can be programmed to conveniently regulate the temperature of your home according to your weekly schedule. They also have the means to study these preferences over time. Subsequently, you can save money on your energy bills by ensuring that your home is only heated or cooled when you need it.

Google’s smart thermostat is the Nest, and lots of homeowners are happy with its features and general efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–might be making trouble as opposed to improving your HVAC system. Persistent issues are forcing homeowners to find out how to switch off this feature. We’ll present the issues some people are having with Seasonal Savings and provide instructions for how to opt out of the setting.

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

Google developed the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners improve 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 intended to run without disrupting your sense of comfort, implementing the biggest changes when you’re away or in bed. Sadly, this isn’t the case for many people participating in the program.

Alternatively, there are claims that the program is contradictory and annoying to use. Homeowners are concerned that the program is even increasing their energy bills instead of lowering them. And when they attempt to disable or opt out of Seasonal Savings, they’ve found the setting to do so is difficult to find or downright absent. In several cases people have even observed it being flipped back on after it was disabled.

Smart thermostats are meant to strengthen the efficiency of your heating and cooling. While automatic temperature changes are a customary feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t overrule your desired settings. If a Nest isn’t meeting your comfort preferences, disabling the Seasonal Savings option is the best move.

But First, Why Is This A Problem?

Homeowners are claiming that the Seasonal Savings feature was activated on their Nest thermostat without their permission. Why can a smart thermostat you command brush off your settings and opt in for the program? It could be because of an energy-efficiency program you subscribed to with the utility company.

These agreements help you improve your home’s energy efficiency. They will sometimes offer rebates on new accessories or special offers for renewable energy products. But lots of people are shocked to learn 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 over your thermostat and turn up the temperature. You could be having issues with the Seasonal Savings program because a utility company is using this remote access.

But what if the setting is defective or just ignoring your preferences? Whatever the reason is, you don’t want a feature to double your energy use without your consent. We’ll walk you through how other users have opted out of 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 may be different depending on your specific Nest model, other users are nervous that Google is purposely making it tougher to turn off Seasonal Savings. To make sure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll include the ways other users have enjoyed success.

1. 1. Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually setting the temperature should override the Seasonal Savings program, but many users have discovered this isn’t what’s happening. If you notice your Nest constantly undoing your changes, you’ll probably want to disable the feature entirely.

2. 2. Shutting off the feature from the Nest app: Your phone or tablet’s Nest app should have a History option and a Settings option. Google directs users to their History to switch off Seasonal Savings, but other users have discovered this option within Settings. Once disabled, the feature is temporarily off until the next summer or winter.

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

4. 4. Opting out before the program begins: The Seasonal Savings program is only accessible around summer and winter. Your smart device should be sent a notification when the program is about to begin, giving you the time to opt out.

When Seasonal Savings is engaged, your Nest should display a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If your Nest is experiencing issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is missing, your problem may be with a different setting entirely.

Sometimes the Source Isn’t Seasonal Savings but Another Setting or Program

Different features on Nest smart thermostats apart from Seasonal Savings can lead to counterintuitive temperature changes. If these settings are active during Seasonal Savings, even disabling the program may not stop the thermostat from making adjustments. Thankfully, these settings can be turned off. You’ll also have options if the headache is a third party like a power company.

5. 5. 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 define the best possible schedule. Going into Settings and turning off Auto-Schedule should stop other automatic adjustments like Seasonal Savings.

1. 1. Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats can still switch 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 detects that no one is home.

6. 6. Leaving the utility company’s energy agreement: Considering your energy provider may be remotely controlling the Nest thermostat, negating the agreement should take away unwanted access. You can locate the full details of these agreements from your energy provider.

7. 7. Reaching out to Google support: If nothing else works, reaching out to Google’s technical support may be of assistance. Staff can guide you to resetting the Nest or locating the correct setting to switch off Seasonal Savings.

If the Problem Persists, Your Thermostat May Be Defective

There’s always the risk a Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical problems or software glitches can result in all kinds of trouble, including an inconsistent Seasonal Savings program. If you suspect the problem is isolated to your own thermostat, a knowledgeable technician might be able to help. After all, smart thermostats continue to be a beneficial investment for your home’s energy efficiency.

If you need local service for your smart thermostat in the U.S., call the HVAC specialists at Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing. They can help you find out the best way to disable an uncooperative Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.