How to Deactivate Your Nest Thermostats Seasonal Savings Program

Smart thermostats are gaining in popularity as more and more homeowners look for ways to scale back their energy bills. These devices can be programmed to conveniently regulate the temperature at home in line with your day-to-day schedule. They also have the capability to learn any preferences over time. As a result, you can spend less on your energy bills by making sure that your comfort system is only running when you need it.

Google’s smart thermostat is the Nest, and lots of homeowners are happy with its features and all-around efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–might be stirring up trouble rather than helping your HVAC system. Constant issues are driving homeowners to research how to disable this feature. We’ll share 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 Correctly

Google developed the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners enhance their energy efficiency. During maximum HVAC use in the summer and winter, it is supposed to automatically adjust the thermostat to match your preferences with energy efficiency. The program is designed to run without disrupting your sense of comfort, setting up the biggest changes when you’re away or sleeping. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for lots of people enrolled in the program.

Instead, there are reports that the program is contradictory and difficult to use. Homeowners are concerned that the program is actually increasing their energy bills instead of shrinking them. And when they attempt to disable or opt out of Seasonal Savings, they’ve noticed the option to do so is difficult to find or just missing. In some cases people have even observed it being switched back on after it was disabled.

Smart thermostats are supposed to strengthen the efficiency of your HVAC system. While automatic temperature adjustments are a customary feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t bypass your preferred settings. If the Nest refuses to accommodate your comfort preferences, shutting off the Seasonal Savings program is the best move.

But First, Why Is This Happening?

Homeowners are concerned that the Seasonal Savings setting was running on their Nest thermostat without their authorization. Why should a smart thermostat you command neglect your settings and enroll in the program? It may be because of an energy-efficiency program you signed up for with a 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 products. But lots of people are shocked to hear 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 trouble with the Seasonal Savings program due to the fact that a utility company is taking advantage of this remote access.

But what if the program is defective or just dismissing your preferences? Whatever the reason could be, you don’t want a feature to raise your energy use without your permission. We’ll explain how other homeowners have shut off 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 may be different according to your specific Nest model, other users are nervous that Google is purposely making it tougher to turn off Seasonal Savings. To ensure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll include the ways other users have had success.

1. 1. Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually setting the temperature should override the Seasonal Savings program, but numerous users have noticed this isn’t what’s happening. If you observe your Nest consistently undoing your changes, you’ll probably want to disable the feature outright.

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 guides users to their History to disable Seasonal Savings, but other users have found this option in Settings. Once disabled, the feature is temporarily off until the following summer or winter.

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

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

When Seasonal Savings is engaged, your Nest is supposed to show a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If a Nest is experiencing issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is missing, your problem could be with another setting entirely.

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

Alternative settings on Nest smart thermostats aside from Seasonal Savings can result in counterintuitive temperature changes. If these features are active during Seasonal Savings, even shutting off the program may not keep the thermostat from making alterations. Thankfully, these settings can be disabled. You’ll also have options if the problem 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 capacity to study your preferences to establish the ideal schedule. Going into Settings and shutting off Auto-Schedule should disable other automatic adjustments such as Seasonal Savings.

1. 1. Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats will still switch to eco temperatures if you use an auto-switching feature like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These features automatically change the temperature when the thermostat thinks that no one is around.

6. 6. Negating the utility company’s energy agreement: Considering your energy provider might be remotely controlling your Nest thermostat, cancelling the agreement should get rid of remote access. You can locate the complete details of these agreements through your energy provider.

7. 7. Calling Google support: If everything else fails, contacting Google’s technical support could be of assistance. Staff can guide you to resetting the Nest or finding the correct setting to switch off Seasonal Savings.

If the Problem Remains, Your Thermostat Could Be Malfunctioning

There’s always the possibility your Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical problems or software glitches can cause all types of issues, including an inconsistent Seasonal Savings program. If you believe the problem is isolated to your specific thermostat, a skilled technician might be able to help. After all, smart thermostats remain a valuable investment for your home’s energy efficiency.

If you need local service for your smart thermostat in the U.S., get in touch with the HVAC specialists at Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing. They can help you figure out the easiest way to switch off an uncooperative Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.