How to Deactivate 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 systems can be programmed to efficiently regulate the temperature of your home based on your daily schedule. They also have the ability to memorize comfort preferences over time. As a result, you can cut costs on your energy bills by ensuring that your home is only heated or cooled when you need it.

Google’s smart thermostat is the Nest, and lots 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 assisting your HVAC system. Constant issues are pushing homeowners to look for how to shut off this feature. We’ll review the concerns some people are having with Seasonal Savings and offer instructions for how to opt out of the program.

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

Google designed the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners increase their energy efficiency. Around the highest HVAC use in the summer and winter, it will automatically adjust the thermostat to balance your preferences with energy efficiency. The program is intended to run without interrupting your sense of comfort, making the biggest changes when you’re away or asleep. Sadly, this isn’t the case for numerous people taking part in the program.

In fact, there are claims that the program is contradictory and irritating to use. Homeowners are concerned that the program is really increasing their energy bills instead of reducing them. And when they decide to disable or opt out of Seasonal Savings, they’ve noticed the setting to do so is difficult to find or entirely absent. In some cases people have even noted it being flipped back on after it was disabled.

Smart thermostats are designed to enhance the efficiency of your heating and cooling. While automatic temperature adjustments are a common feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t overrule your preferred settings. If the Nest refuses to accommodate your comfort preferences, opting out of the Seasonal Savings feature is the right move.

But First, Why Is This Happening?

Homeowners are concerned that the Seasonal Savings setting was started on their Nest thermostat without their authorization. Why should a smart thermostat you operate ignore your settings and enroll in the program? It could be because of an energy-efficiency program you subscribed to with your utility company.

These agreements help you increase your home’s energy efficiency. They will sometimes feature rebates on new accessories or special offers for renewable energy products. But most people are shocked to hear 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 control of your thermostat and raise the temperature. You may well be having problems with the Seasonal Savings program because a utility company is making use of this remote access.

But what if the program is defective or just disregarding your preferences? Whatever the reason may be, you don’t want a feature to raise your energy use without your approval. We’ll review how other users have turned off the Seasonal Savings program.

How to Disable Your Nest Thermostat’s Seasonal Savings Feature

A number of people have reported trouble disabling the Seasonal Savings feature. While the location of this setting may be different based on your specific Nest model, other users are concerned that Google is intentionally making it harder to disable Seasonal Savings. To make sure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll include the ways other users have found success.

1. 1. Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually changing the temperature should override the Seasonal Savings program, but numerous users have observed this isn’t what’s happening. If you notice your Nest repeatedly undoing your changes, you’ll probably prefer to disable the feature completely.

2. 2. Shutting off the setting 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 switch off Seasonal Savings, but other users have located this option within Settings. Once disabled, the feature is temporarily off until the following summer or winter.

3. 3. Disabling the program from the Nest thermostat: Your thermostat should also provide a History option where you can disable Seasonal Savings, but many homeowners state the disable option is gone.

4. 4. Opting out before the program begins: The Seasonal Savings program is only obtainable in summer and winter. Your smart device will get a notification when the program is about to begin, giving you the time to opt out.

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

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

Different features on Nest smart thermostats aside from Seasonal Savings can lead to counterintuitive temperature changes. If these features are active during Seasonal Savings, even disabling the program may not prevent the thermostat from making adjustments. Thankfully, these settings can be disabled. 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 capability to learn your preferences to set the perfect schedule. Going into Settings and shutting off Auto-Schedule should stop other automatic adjustments like Seasonal Savings.

1. 1. Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats will still flip to eco temperatures if you possess an auto-switching function like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These settings automatically control the temperature when the thermostat thinks that the house is empty.

6. 6. Negating the utility company’s energy agreement: Since your energy provider may be remotely controlling the Nest thermostat, nullifying the agreement should remove remote access. You can find the complete details of these agreements through your energy provider.

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

If the Problem Persists, Your Thermostat May Be Faulty

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

If you need local assistance for your smart thermostat in the U.S., contact the comfort professionals at Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing. They can help you figure out the ideal way to switch off an uncooperative Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.