How to Disable Nest Seasonal Savings

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 devices can be programmed to automatically maintain the temperature inside your home according to your daily schedule. They also have the capacity to memorize any preferences over time. As a result, you can save money on your energy bills by seeing to it that your HVAC system is only on when you need it.

Google’s smart thermostat is the Nest, and many homeowners are happy with its features and overall efficiency. But one feature the Seasonal Savings program is making trouble rather than assisting your HVAC system. Frequent issues are driving homeowners to research how to shut off this feature. We’ll share the concerns some people are having with Seasonal Savings and provide instructions for how to opt out of the feature.

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

Google built the Seasonal Savings program to help homeowners improve their energy efficiency. For peak HVAC use in the summer and winter, it should automatically adjust the thermostat to satisfy your preferences with energy efficiency. The program is supposed to run without disrupting your sense of comfort, setting up the biggest changes when you’re away or in bed. However, this isn’t the case for numerous people taking part in the program.

Alternatively, there are claims that the program is inconsistent and difficult to use. Homeowners are concerned that the program is actually increasing their energy bills instead of shrinking them. And when they try to disable or opt out of Seasonal Savings, they’ve noticed the setting to do so is hard to find or entirely missing. In many cases people have even discovered it being turned 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 desired settings. If a Nest isn't meeting your comfort preferences, shutting off the Seasonal Savings is the correct move.

But First, Why Is This A Problem?

Homeowners are complaining that the Seasonal Savings feature was running on their Nest thermostat without their authorization. Why can a smart thermostat you control overlook your settings and opt in for the program? It could be because of an energy-efficiency agreement you signed up for with a utility company.

These agreements help you boost your home’s energy efficiency. They will sometimes feature rebates on new products or special promotions for renewable energy systems. But many people are surprised to hear they also grant your utility company remote access to the thermostat. If the power grid is experiencing a heavy load, the utility company can take over your thermostat and adjust the temperature. You may well be having trouble with the Seasonal Savings program because a utility company is taking advantage of this remote access.

But what if the feature is malfunctioning or just dismissing your preferences? Whatever the reason is, you don’t want a feature to increase your energy use without your consent. We’ll share 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 documented trouble shutting off the Seasonal Savings feature. While the location of this setting could be different depending on your specific Nest model, other users are nervous that Google is purposely making it tougher 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. Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually setting the temperature should supersede the Seasonal Savings program, but many users have observed this isn’t the case. If you notice your Nest repeatedly reversing your changes, you’ll probably opt to shut off the feature completely.
2. Disabling 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 switch off Seasonal Savings, but other users have located this option under Settings. Once disabled, the feature is temporarily off until the subsequent summer or winter.
3. Stopping 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 gone.
4. Opting out before the program begins: The Seasonal Savings program is only accessible during summer and winter. Your smart device will get a notification when the program is about to launch, allowing you the time to opt out.

When Seasonal Savings is live, your Nest should show a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If a Nest is experiencing issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is missing, your predicament may be with a different setting entirely.

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

Alternative features 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. Thankfully, these settings can be disabled. You’ll also have options if the issue is a third party like a power company.

1. Turning off Auto-Schedule: The Nest Thermostat E and Nest Learning Thermostat both offer the Auto-Schedule feature, using their capability to study your preferences to establish the perfect schedule. Going into Settings and Turning off Auto-Schedule should prevent other automatic controls like Seasonal Savings.
2. Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats can still flip to eco temperatures if you possess an auto-switching setting like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These automatically adjust the temperature when the thermostat assumes that no one is home.
3. Negating the utility company’s energy agreement: Because your energy provider could be remotely controlling the Nest thermostat, cancelling the agreement should remove remote access. You can find the full details of these agreements via your energy provider.
4. Contacting Google support: If all else fails, calling Google’s technical support may be of help. Staff can direct you to resetting the Nest or locating the correct setting to switch off Seasonal Savings.

If the Problem Persists, Your Thermostat Could Be Malfunctioning

There’s always the risk the Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical approval or software bugs can result in all kinds of problems, including an obnoxious Seasonal Savings program. If you suspect the problem is isolated to your own thermostat, a skilled technician will be able to help. After all, smart thermostats are still a beneficial investment for your home’s energy efficiency.

If you'd like local service for your smart thermostat in the U.S, call the heating and cooling professionals at Service Experts. They can help you find out the easiest way to switch off a stubborn Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.