How to Switch Off Your Nest Thermostats Seasonal Savings Program

Smart thermostats are increasing in popularity as more and more homeowners seek out ways to cut down on their energy expenses. These devices can be programmed to conveniently regulate the temperature in your home based on your day-to-day schedule. They also have the ability to learn your preferences over time. Subsequently, you can save money 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 pleased with its features and general efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–could be making trouble rather than helping your HVAC system. Persistent issues are driving homeowners to learn how to switch off this feature. We’ll review the issues some people are having with Seasonal Savings and offer instructions for how to opt out of the feature.

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

Google built the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners improve their energy efficiency. For the highest HVAC use in the summer and winter, it will automatically adjust the thermostat to match your preferences with energy efficiency. The program is expected to run without disrupting your sense of comfort, making the biggest changes when you’re away or asleep. However, this isn’t the case for many people participating in the program.

In fact, there are reports that the program is contradictory and annoying to use. Homeowners are complaining 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 discovered the setting to do so is tough to find or entirely absent. In various cases people have even noted it being switched back on after it was disabled.

Smart thermostats are supposed to strengthen the efficiency of your heating and cooling. While automatic temperature corrections are a widespread feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t override your desired settings. If your Nest won’t work with your comfort preferences, shutting off the Seasonal Savings program is the best move.

But First, Why Is This A Problem?

Homeowners are complaining that the Seasonal Savings program was started on their Nest thermostat without their consent. Why should a smart thermostat you command overlook your settings and opt in for the program? It might be because of an energy-efficiency agreement you registered for with your utility company.

These agreements help you increase your home’s energy efficiency. They may offer rebates on new products or special offers for renewable energy equipment. But many people are shocked to learn they also grant your utility company remote access to your thermostat. If the power grid is struggling with a heavy load, the utility company can take control of your thermostat and adjust the temperature. You may be having problems with the Seasonal Savings program because a utility company is making use of this remote access.

But what if the feature is malfunctioning or just disregarding your preferences? Whatever the reason may be, you don’t want a feature to raise your energy use without your consent. 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 disclosed trouble opting out of the Seasonal Savings feature. While the location of this setting might be different according to your specific Nest model, other users are concerned that Google is intentionally making it tougher to turn off Seasonal Savings. To make sure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll describe the ways other users have found success.

1. 1. Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually changing the temperature should overrule the Seasonal Savings program, but quite a few users have found this isn’t entirely accurate. If you notice your Nest constantly undoing your changes, you’ll probably prefer to shut off the feature completely.

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

3. 3. Shutting off the program from the Nest thermostat: Your thermostat should also possess a History option where you can disable Seasonal Savings, but many homeowners report the disable option is absent.

4. 4. Opting out before the program starts: The Seasonal Savings program is only accessible during summer and winter. Your smart device will get a notification when the program is about to begin, allowing you the chance 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 missing, your problem may be with a different setting entirely.

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

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

5. 5. Turning off Auto-Schedule: The Nest Thermostat E and Nest Learning Thermostat both offer the Auto-Schedule feature, using their ability to understand your preferences to establish the best possible schedule. Going into Settings and turning off Auto-Schedule should stop other automatic controls such as Seasonal Savings.

1. 1. Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats may still flip to eco temperatures if you have an auto-switching function like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These settings automatically change the temperature when the thermostat thinks that everyone is out of the house.

6. 6. Negating the utility company’s energy agreement: Because your energy provider could be remotely controlling your Nest thermostat, cancelling the agreement should get rid of their access. You can find the full details of these agreements through your energy provider.

7. 7. Reaching out to Google support: If all else fails, reaching out to Google’s technical support may be of assistance. Staff can point you to resetting the Nest or locating the correct setting to shut off Seasonal Savings.

If the Problem Continues, Your Thermostat May Be Faulty

There’s always the chance the Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical damage or software bugs can trigger all kinds of trouble, including an obnoxious Seasonal Savings program. If you believe the problem is isolated to your own thermostat, a skilled technician will be able to help. After all, smart thermostats are still a worthwhile investment for your home’s energy efficiency.

If you need local service for your smart thermostat in the U.S., call the comfort specialists at Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing. They can help you determine the ideal way to shut off an uncooperative Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.