How to Disable Your Nest Thermostats Seasonal Savings Program

Smart thermostats are increasing in popularity as more and more homeowners search for ways to reduce their energy expenses. These accessories can be programmed to conveniently adjust the temperature at home in line with your daily schedule. They also have the means to study comfort preferences over time. Subsequently, you can cut costs 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 plenty of homeowners are satisfied with its features and overall efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–might be stirring up trouble instead of helping your HVAC system. Frequent issues are forcing homeowners to figure out how to switch off this feature. We’ll review the trouble some people are having with Seasonal Savings and offer instructions for how to opt out of the program.

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

Google designed the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners enhance 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 expected to run without interrupting your sense of comfort, implementing the biggest changes when you’re away or in bed. Sadly, this isn’t the case for many people taking part in the program.

In fact, there are claims that the program is contradictory and difficult to use. Homeowners are complaining that the program is really increasing their energy bills instead of lowering them. And when they decide to disable or opt out of Seasonal Savings, they’ve found the setting to do so is tough to find or outright absent. In many cases people have even discovered it being switched back on after it was disabled.

Smart thermostats are expected to improve the efficiency of your HVAC system. While automatic temperature adjustments are a widespread feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t overrule your favored settings. If your Nest isn’t meeting your comfort preferences, disabling the Seasonal Savings program is the best move.

But First, Why Is This A Problem?

Homeowners are noticing that the Seasonal Savings setting was running on their Nest thermostat without their permission. Why would a smart thermostat you control ignore your settings and opt in for the program? It could be because of an energy-efficiency program you subscribed to with a utility company.

These agreements help you increase your home’s energy efficiency. They can come with rebates on new accessories or special discounts for renewable energy equipment. But lots of people are alarmed to hear they also permit 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 change the temperature. You may be having issues with the Seasonal Savings program because a utility company is making use of this remote access.

But what if the program is malfunctioning 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 take you step-by-step through how other homeowners have disabled the Seasonal Savings program.

How to Disable Your Nest Thermostat’s Seasonal Savings Feature

A number of people have experienced trouble opting out of the Seasonal Savings feature. While the location of this setting might be different depending on your specific Nest model, other users are concerned that Google is purposely making it more difficult to disable Seasonal Savings. To ensure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll list the ways other users have found success.

1. 1. Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually changing the temperature should outrank the Seasonal Savings program, but many users have found this isn’t entirely accurate. If you note your Nest consistently undoing your changes, you’ll probably opt to shut off the feature completely.

2. 2. Shutting off 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 guides users to their History to shut off Seasonal Savings, but other people have found this option within Settings. Once disabled, the program is temporarily off until the next summer or winter.

3. 3. Disabling the program from the Nest thermostat: Your thermostat should also feature a History option where you can opt out of Seasonal Savings, but many homeowners state the disable option is missing.

4. 4. Opting out before the program starts: The Seasonal Savings program is only accessible in summer and winter. Your smart device is supposed to get a notification when the program is about to begin, offering you the time to opt out.

When Seasonal Savings is on, your Nest is supposed to display a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If your Nest is having issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is not visible, your trouble may be with a different setting entirely.

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

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

5. 5. Turning off Auto-Schedule: The Nest Thermostat E and Nest Learning Thermostat both extend the Auto-Schedule feature, using their capacity to understand your preferences to define the best possible schedule. Going into Settings and shutting off Auto-Schedule should stop other automatic adjustments including Seasonal Savings.

1. 1. Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats may still shift to eco temperatures if you have an auto-switching function like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These functions automatically change the temperature when the thermostat assumes that no one is home.

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

7. 7. Calling Google support: If everything else fails, reaching out to Google’s technical support might be of service. Staff can steer you to resetting the Nest or determining the appropriate setting to shut off Seasonal Savings.

If the Problem Continues, Your Thermostat Could Be Defective

There’s always the chance the Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical issues or software glitches can result in all types of issues, including an aggravating Seasonal Savings program. If you believe the problem is isolated to your personal thermostat, a seasoned technician may be able to help. After all, smart thermostats remain a worthwhile investment for your home’s energy efficiency.

If you need local support for your smart thermostat in the U.S., contact the comfort experts at Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing. They can help you find out the best way to disable a stubborn Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.