How to Deactivate Your Nest Thermostats Seasonal Savings Program

Smart thermostats are gaining in popularity as more and more homeowners seek out ways to cut down on their energy bills. These accessories can be programmed to automatically maintain the temperature of your home in line with your weekly schedule. They also have the ability to learn your preferences over time. Subsequently, you can spend less on your energy bills by ensuring that your HVAC system is only on when you need it.

Google’s smart thermostat is the Nest, and many homeowners are pleased with its features and general efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–may be making trouble as opposed to supporting your HVAC system. Constant issues are forcing homeowners to look for 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 Claim the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Correctly

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

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

Smart thermostats are expected to strengthen the efficiency of your heating and cooling. While automatic temperature corrections are a popular feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t overrule your favored settings. If a Nest isn't meeting your comfort preferences, opting out of the Seasonal Savings option is the correct move.

But First, Why Is This A Problem?

Homeowners are complaining that the Seasonal Savings feature was activated on their Nest thermostat without their approval. Why can a smart thermostat you command dismiss your settings and enroll in the program? It may be because of an energy-efficiency program you signed up for with the utility company.

These agreements help you enhance your home’s energy efficiency. They may offer rebates on new accessories or special offers for renewable energy equipment. But many people are shocked to hear they also grant your utility company remote access to your thermostat. If the power grid is struggling with a heavy load, the utility company can control your thermostat and change the temperature. You might be having problems with the Seasonal Savings program because a utility company is making use of this remote access.

But what if the feature is faulty or just ignoring your preferences? Whatever the reason could be, you don’t want a feature to raise your energy use without your permission. 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 disclosed trouble disabling the Seasonal Savings feature. While the location of this setting might be different depending on your specific Nest model, other users are nervous that Google is deliberately making it more difficult to turn off 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 override the Seasonal Savings program, but quite a few users have found this isn’t what's happening. If you see your Nest repeatedly reversing your changes, you’ll probably opt to shut off the feature completely.
2. Disabling 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 directs users to their History to switch off Seasonal Savings, but other homeowners have found this option within Settings. Once disabled, the program is temporarily off until the subsequent summer or winter.
3. Shutting off the program from the Nest thermostat: Your thermostat should also have a History option where you can turn off Seasonal Savings, but many homeowners report the disable option is not there.
4. Opting out before the program begins: The Seasonal Savings program is only accessible around summer and winter. Your smart device will receive a notification when the program is about to start, offering you the chance to opt out.

When Seasonal Savings is live, your Nest will show a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If the Nest is having issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is absent, your trouble could be with a different setting entirely.

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

Additional features on Nest smart thermostats apart from Seasonal Savings can cause counterintuitive temperature changes. If these features are active during Seasonal Savings, even opting out of the program may not keep the thermostat from making adjustments. Fortunately, these settings can be turned off. You’ll also have options if the problem is a third party like a power company.

1. Shutting off Auto-Schedule: The Nest Thermostat E and Nest Learning Thermostat both offer the Auto-Schedule feature, using their capability to understand your preferences to define the ideal schedule. Going into Settings and turning off Auto-Schedule should prevent other automatic controls like Seasonal Savings.
   1. Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats will still shift to eco temperatures if you possess an auto-switching feature like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These settings automatically regulate the temperature when the thermostat assumes that no one is home.
2. Leaving the utility company’s energy agreement: Since your energy provider might be remotely controlling your Nest thermostat, negating the agreement should take away unwanted access. You can find the full details of these agreements from your energy provider.
3. Calling Google support: If nothing else works, contacting Google’s technical support could be of help. Staff can point you to resetting the Nest or finding the appropriate setting to turn off Seasonal Savings.

If the Problem Continues, Your Thermostat Might Be Faulty

There’s always the chance your Nest smart thermostat is just malfunctioning. Electrical damage or software bugs can trigger all types of trouble, including an inconsistent Seasonal Savings program. If you think the problem is isolated to your personal thermostat, an experienced technician might be able to help. After all, smart thermostats continue to be a beneficial investment for your home’s energy efficiency.

If you need local service for your smart thermostat in San Antonio, get in touch with the HVAC specialists at Aramendia Plumbing, Heating and Air. They can help you determine the best way to switch off an uncooperative Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.