Smart thermostats are growing in popularity as more and more homeowners look for ways to lower their energy expenses. These devices can be programmed to automatically maintain the temperature at home in line with your daily schedule. They also have the capability to memorize your preferences over time. As a result, you can make big savings on your energy bills by seeing to it that your comfort system is only running when you need it.
Google’s smart thermostat is the Nest, and numerous homeowners are delighted with its features and all-around efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–might be making trouble instead of helping your HVAC system. Persistent issues are forcing homeowners to look for how to shut off this feature. We’ll present the concerns some people are having with Seasonal Savings and include instructions for how to opt out of the feature.
Many Homeowners Say the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Well
Google built the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners enhance their energy efficiency. During peak HVAC use in the summer and winter, it should automatically adjust the thermostat to match your preferences with energy efficiency. The program is intended to run without interrupting your sense of comfort, implementing the biggest changes when you’re away or sleeping. Sadly, this isn’t the case for lots of people taking part in the program.
Alternatively, there are claims that the program is contradictory and irritating to use. Homeowners are noticing that the program is even 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 difficult to find or outright absent. In many cases people have even noticed it being turned back on after it was disabled.
Smart thermostats are expected to enhance the efficiency of your HVAC equipment. While automatic temperature corrections are a popular feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t override your desired settings. If your Nest refuses to accommodate your comfort preferences, opting out of the Seasonal Savings feature is the best move.
But First, Why Is This Happening?
Homeowners are noticing that the Seasonal Savings setting was running on their Nest thermostat without their permission. Why can a smart thermostat you operate ignore your settings and enroll in the program? It may be because of an energy-efficiency agreement you registered for with the utility company.
These agreements help you boost your home’s energy efficiency. They can include rebates on new accessories or special discounts for renewable energy equipment. But lots of people are shocked to learn they also grant your utility company remote access to the thermostat. If the power grid is experiencing a heavy load, the utility company can take over your thermostat and adjust the temperature. You may well be having problems with the Seasonal Savings program due to the fact that a utility company is utilizing this remote access.
But what if the feature is faulty or just disregarding your preferences? Whatever the reason could be, you don’t want a feature to raise your energy use without your permission. We’ll walk you through how other users 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 may be different depending on your specific Nest model, other users are concerned that Google is intentionally making it tougher to disable Seasonal Savings. To make sure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll list the ways other users have enjoyed success.
- Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually adjusting the temperature should override the Seasonal Savings program, but many users have discovered this isn’t entirely accurate. If you notice your Nest constantly undoing your changes, you’ll probably opt to shut off the feature completely.
- 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 points users to their History to turn off Seasonal Savings, but other homeowners have discovered this option within Settings. Once disabled, the feature is temporarily off until the following summer or winter.
- Disabling the program from the Nest thermostat: Your thermostat should also possess a History option where you can disable Seasonal Savings, but some homeowners state the disable option is missing.
- Opting out before the program starts: The Seasonal Savings program is only accessible in summer and winter. Your smart device should be sent a notification when the program is about to begin, giving you the chance to opt out.
When Seasonal Savings is engaged, your Nest will display a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If your Nest is experiencing issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is not visible, your issue might be with another setting entirely.
Sometimes the Problem Isn’t Seasonal Savings but Another Setting or Program
Additional settings on Nest smart thermostats besides Seasonal Savings can lead to unwanted temperature changes. If these options are active during Seasonal Savings, even opting out of the program may not stop the thermostat from making alterations. Thankfully, these settings can be turned off. You’ll also have options if the issue is a third party like a power company.
- Turning off Auto-Schedule: The Nest Thermostat E and Nest Learning Thermostat both give you the Auto-Schedule feature, using their capacity to understand your preferences to define the perfect schedule. Going into Settings and turning off Auto-Schedule should prevent other automatic controls including Seasonal Savings.
- Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats may still switch to eco temperatures if you possess an auto-switching function like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These features automatically change the temperature when the thermostat thinks that the house is empty.
- Leaving the utility company’s energy agreement: Considering your energy provider may be remotely controlling a Nest thermostat, nullifying the agreement should get rid of unwanted access. You can locate the full details of these agreements via your energy provider.
- Calling Google support: If everything else fails, reaching out to Google’s technical support might be of assistance. Staff can guide you to resetting the Nest or finding the appropriate setting to disable Seasonal Savings.
If the Problem Continues, Your Thermostat Might Be Faulty
There’s always the risk a Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical issues or software bugs can trigger all sorts of issues, including an aggravating Seasonal Savings program. If you think the problem is isolated to your specific thermostat, a knowledgeable technician will be able to help. After all, smart thermostats continue to be a worthwhile investment for your home’s energy efficiency.
If you’d like local support for your smart thermostat in Charlotte, get in touch with the heating and cooling professionals at Komfort Air Service Experts. They can help you find out the easiest way to disable a stubborn Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.