How to Deactivate Your Nest Thermostats Seasonal Savings Program
Smart thermostats are growing in popularity as more and more homeowners search for ways to scale back their energy costs. These systems can be programmed to conveniently adjust the temperature of your home in line with your day-to-day schedule. They also have the ability to memorize these preferences over time. Subsequently, 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 many homeowners are happy with its features and all-around efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–could be causing trouble instead of improving your HVAC system. Consistent issues are forcing homeowners to find out how to disable this feature. We’ll review the issues some people are having with Seasonal Savings and offer instructions for how to opt out of the setting.
Many Homeowners Argue the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Well
Google built the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners enhance their energy efficiency. Around maximum HVAC use in the summer and winter, it is supposed to automatically adjust the thermostat to satisfy your preferences with energy efficiency. The program is intended to run without getting in the way of your sense of comfort, making the biggest changes when you’re away or asleep. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for lots of people enrolled in the program.
Alternatively, there are claims that the program is contradictory and frustrating to use. Homeowners are complaining that the program is actually increasing their energy bills instead of reducing them. And when they attempt to disable or opt out of Seasonal Savings, they’ve discovered the setting to do so is hard to find or outright absent. In several cases people have even discovered it being turned back on after it was disabled.
Smart thermostats are designed to increase the efficiency of your HVAC equipment. While automatic temperature adjustments are a popular feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t ignore your desired settings. If your Nest isn’t meeting your comfort preferences, shutting off the Seasonal Savings option is the correct move.
But First, Why Is This Happening?
Homeowners are noticing that the Seasonal Savings program was running on their Nest thermostat without their authorization. Why would a smart thermostat you operate brush off your settings and activate the program? It could be because of an energy-efficiency program you signed up for with your utility company.
These agreements help you enhance your home’s energy efficiency. They can include rebates on new accessories or special promotions for renewable energy products. But numerous people are shocked to learn they also allow your utility company remote access to the thermostat. If the power grid is under a heavy load, the utility company can control your thermostat and raise the temperature. You could be having problems with the Seasonal Savings program because a utility company is utilizing this remote access.
But what if the program is defective or just disregarding your preferences? Whatever the reason is, you don’t want a feature to increase your energy use without your approval. 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 reported trouble opting out of the Seasonal Savings feature. While the location of this setting could be different according to your specific Nest model, other users are concerned that Google is deliberately making it more difficult to opt out of Seasonal Savings. To ensure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll list the ways other users have had success.
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- Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually setting the temperature should override the Seasonal Savings program, but numerous users have discovered this isn’t the case. If you see your Nest constantly ignoring your changes, you’ll probably opt to turn off the feature completely.
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- Disabling the setting from the Nest app: Your phone or tablet’s Nest app is supposed to have a History option and a Settings option. Google directs users to their History to disable Seasonal Savings, but other homeowners have discovered this option in Settings. Once disabled, the program is temporarily off until the following summer or winter.
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- Disabling the program from the Nest thermostat: Your thermostat should also have a History option where you can opt out of Seasonal Savings, but some homeowners state the disable option is missing.
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- Opting out before the program begins: The Seasonal Savings program is only obtainable around summer and winter. Your smart device is supposed to be sent a notification when the program is about to begin, giving you the opportunity to opt out.
When Seasonal Savings is running, your Nest should display a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If the Nest is experiencing issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is missing, your predicament may be with another setting entirely.
Sometimes the Problem Isn’t Seasonal Savings but Another Setting or Program
Alternative options on Nest smart thermostats apart from Seasonal Savings can result in automatic temperature changes. If these features are active during Seasonal Savings, even shutting off the program may not keep the thermostat from making changes. Luckily, these settings can be disabled. You’ll also have options if the issue is a third party like your power company.
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- Shutting 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 define the best possible schedule. Going into Settings and turning off Auto-Schedule should stop other automatic adjustments such as Seasonal Savings.
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- Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats might still swap to eco temperatures if you use an auto-switching function like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These features automatically change the temperature when the thermostat thinks that everyone is out of the house.
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- Negating the utility company’s energy agreement: Because your energy provider may be remotely controlling your Nest thermostat, cancelling the agreement should take away unwanted access. You can locate the full details of these agreements via your energy provider.
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- Contacting Google support: If nothing else works, contacting Google’s technical support may be of service. Staff can lead you to resetting the Nest or locating the proper setting to shut off Seasonal Savings.
If the Problem Continues, Your Thermostat Might Be Malfunctioning
There’s always the possibility a Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical issues or software bugs can result in all types of issues, including an obnoxious Seasonal Savings program. If you suspect the problem is isolated to your own thermostat, an experienced technician may be able to help. After all, smart thermostats are still a worthwhile investment for your home’s energy efficiency.
If you want local service for your smart thermostat in the U.S., contact the heating and cooling specialists at Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing. They can help you find out the easiest way to switch off a stubborn Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.