How to Turn Off Your Nest Thermostats Seasonal Savings Program

Smart thermostats are gaining in popularity as more and more homeowners look for ways to reduce their energy bills. These accessories can be programmed to automatically regulate the temperature of your home based on your weekly schedule. They also have the capacity to study any preferences over time. For this reason, you can cut costs on your energy bills by making sure that your HVAC system is only on 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–might be making trouble as opposed to supporting your HVAC system. Frequent issues are driving homeowners to find out how to disable this feature. We’ll review the issues some people are having with Seasonal Savings and provide instructions for how to opt out of the setting.

Many Homeowners Say the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Well

Google designed the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners increase their energy efficiency. For 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 intended to run without interrupting your sense of comfort, setting up the biggest changes when you’re away or asleep. However, this isn’t the case for numerous people taking part in the program.

In fact, there are reports that the program is inconsistent and frustrating to use. Homeowners are complaining that the program is really increasing their energy bills instead of lowering them. And when they attempt to disable or opt out of Seasonal Savings, they’ve noticed the way to do so is tough to find or just missing. In many cases people have even discovered it being switched back on after it was disabled.

Smart thermostats are supposed to increase the efficiency of your HVAC equipment. While automatic temperature adjustments are a popular feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t overrule your desired settings. If the Nest isn’t meeting your comfort preferences, disabling the Seasonal Savings feature is the best move.

But First, Why Is This Going On?

Homeowners are claiming that the Seasonal Savings program was activated on their Nest thermostat without their consent. Why should a smart thermostat you operate neglect your settings and enroll in the program? It might be because of an energy-efficiency program you subscribed to with a utility company.

These agreements help you boost your home’s energy efficiency. They may come with rebates on new equipment or special discounts for renewable energy equipment. But most people are alarmed to learn they also allow 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 change the temperature. You may be having issues with the Seasonal Savings program due to the fact that a utility company is taking advantage of this remote access.

But what if the setting is malfunctioning or just disregarding your preferences? Whatever the reason could be, you don’t want a feature to raise your energy use without your approval. We’ll walk you through how other users have disabled the Seasonal Savings program.

How to Disable Your Nest Thermostat’s Seasonal Savings Feature

A number of people have disclosed trouble shutting off the Seasonal Savings feature. While the location of this setting might be different depending on your specific Nest model, other users are nervous that Google is intentionally making it more difficult to turn off Seasonal Savings. To ensure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll list the ways other users have had success.

1. 1. Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually adjusting the temperature should outrank the Seasonal Savings program, but many users have found this isn’t what’s happening. If you see your Nest repeatedly ignoring your changes, you’ll probably want to turn off the feature outright.

2. 2. Disabling the program from the Nest app: Your phone or tablet’s Nest app ought to have a History option and a Settings option. Google directs users to their History to disable Seasonal Savings, but other people have found this option under Settings. Once disabled, the feature is temporarily off until the subsequent summer or winter.

3. 3. Stopping the program from the Nest thermostat: Your thermostat should also possess a History option where you can opt out of Seasonal Savings, but many homeowners claim the disable option is absent.

4. 4. 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 start, offering you the opportunity to opt out.

When Seasonal Savings is running, your Nest should show a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If your Nest is struggling with issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is not visible, your trouble might be with another setting entirely.

Sometimes the Issue Isn’t Seasonal Savings but a Different Setting or Program

Other settings on Nest smart thermostats besides Seasonal Savings can lead to automatic temperature changes. If these options are active during Seasonal Savings, even opting out of the program may not stop the thermostat from making changes. Fortunately, these settings can be turned off. You’ll also have options if the issue is a third party like your power company.

5. 5. Switching off Auto-Schedule: The Nest Thermostat E and Nest Learning Thermostat both extend the Auto-Schedule feature, using their ability to understand your preferences to define the perfect schedule. Going into Settings and turning off Auto-Schedule should stop other automatic changes like Seasonal Savings.

1. 1. Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats can still shift to eco temperatures if you use an auto-switching function like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These functions automatically change the temperature when the thermostat detects that everyone is out of the house.

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

7. 7. Calling Google support: If nothing else works, reaching out to Google’s technical support could be of help. Staff can guide you to resetting the Nest or locating the proper setting to switch 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 damage 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, an experienced technician may be able to help. After all, smart thermostats continue to be a beneficial investment for your home’s energy efficiency.

If you prefer local service for your smart thermostat in the U.S., contact the heating and cooling professionals at Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing. They can help you find the best way to shut off a stubborn Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.