How to Switch Off Your Nest Thermostats Seasonal Savings Program

Smart thermostats are gaining in popularity as more and more homeowners seek out ways to reduce their energy costs. These devices can be programmed to conveniently adjust the temperature in your home based on your day-to-day schedule. They also have the capacity to study these preferences over time. Subsequently, you can spend less on your energy bills by ensuring that your comfort system is only running 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 stirring up trouble as opposed to helping your HVAC system. Consistent issues are pushing homeowners to learn how to disable this feature. We’ll share the trouble some people are having with Seasonal Savings and provide instructions for how to opt out of the setting.

Many Homeowners Argue the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Like It Should

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

Alternatively, there are accounts that the program is sporadic and annoying to use. Homeowners are complaining that the program is actually 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 entirely absent. In many cases people have even observed it being turned back on after it was disabled.

Smart thermostats are meant to boost the efficiency of your HVAC equipment. While automatic temperature changes are a widespread feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t override your preferred settings. If your Nest won’t work with your comfort preferences, disabling the Seasonal Savings option is the best move.

But First, Why Is This A Problem?

Homeowners are concerned that the Seasonal Savings program was started on their Nest thermostat without their consent. Why would a smart thermostat you operate dismiss your settings and enroll in the program? It may be because of an energy-efficiency program you registered for with the utility company.

These agreements help you improve your home’s energy efficiency. They can offer rebates on new equipment or special offers for renewable energy products. But lots of people are shocked to find out they also grant your utility company remote access to the thermostat. If the power grid is struggling with a heavy load, the utility company can take over your thermostat and raise the temperature. You may well be having problems with the Seasonal Savings program because a utility company is taking advantage of this remote access.

But what if the program is malfunctioning or just ignoring your preferences? Whatever the reason might be, you don’t want a feature to raise your energy use without your approval. We’ll review how other users have switched 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 might be different based on your specific Nest model, other users are concerned that Google is deliberately making it tougher to opt out of Seasonal Savings. To ensure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll include the ways other users have found success.

1. Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually changing the temperature should outrank the Seasonal Savings program, but many users have noticed this isn’t the case. If you notice your Nest constantly reversing your changes, you’ll probably opt to shut off the feature outright.
2. Disabling the feature 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 located this option within Settings. Once disabled, the setting is temporarily off until the subsequent summer or winter.
3. Stopping the program from the Nest thermostat: Your thermostat should also have a History option where you can opt out of Seasonal Savings, but many homeowners claim the disable option is missing.
4. Opting out before the program launches: The Seasonal Savings program is only accessible around summer and winter. Your smart device will receive a notification when the program is about to begin, offering you the chance to opt out.

When Seasonal Savings is engaged, your Nest should show a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If a Nest is struggling with issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is absent, your predicament could be with a different 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 cause unwanted temperature changes. If these features are active during Seasonal Savings, even opting out of the program may not prevent the thermostat from making alterations. Fortunately, these settings can be disabled. You’ll also have options if the problem is a third party like a power company.

1. Switching 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 set the ideal schedule. Going into Settings and shutting off Auto-Schedule should stop other automatic changes such as Seasonal Savings.
   1. Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats will still switch to eco temperatures if you have an auto-switching feature like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These functions automatically control the temperature when the thermostat assumes that the house is empty.
2. Opting out of the utility company’s energy agreement: Since your energy provider might be remotely controlling a Nest thermostat, nullifying the agreement should get rid of their access. You can locate the full details of these agreements through your energy provider.
3. Reaching out to Google support: If all else fails, reaching out to Google’s technical support could be of assistance. Staff can point you to resetting the Nest or locating the appropriate setting to shut off Seasonal Savings.

If the Problem Persists, Your Thermostat May Be Defective

There’s always the possibility your Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical damage or software bugs can result in all sorts of problems, including an aggravating Seasonal Savings program. If you believe the problem is isolated to your personal thermostat, a knowledgeable technician may 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 service for your smart thermostat in Voorhees, contact the heating and cooling specialists at Atmostemp Service Experts. They can help you find out the ideal way to switch off an uncooperative Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.