How to Switch Off Your Nest Thermostats Seasonal Savings Program

Smart thermostats are increasing in popularity as more and more homeowners look for ways to scale back their energy costs. These accessories can be programmed to efficiently adjust the temperature of your home based on your regular schedule. They also have the ability to study any preferences over time. For this reason, 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 pleased with its features and overall efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–may be stirring up trouble rather than assisting your HVAC system. Constant issues are pushing homeowners to look for how to shut off this feature. We’ll share 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 Correctly 

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

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

Smart thermostats are intended to boost the efficiency of your heating and cooling. While automatic temperature corrections are a popular feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t override your preferred settings. If your Nest refuses to accommodate your comfort preferences, disabling the Seasonal Savings program is the correct move. 

But First, Why Is This Going On? 

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

These agreements help you raise your home’s energy efficiency. They will sometimes come with rebates on new equipment or special discounts for renewable energy products. But lots of people are alarmed to hear they also grant your utility company remote access to your thermostat. If the power grid is under a heavy load, the utility company can override your thermostat and raise the temperature. You may be having problems with the Seasonal Savings program because a utility company is utilizing this remote access. 

But what if the program is faulty or just dismissing your preferences? Whatever the reason could be, you don’t want a feature to raise your energy use without your consent. We’ll share how other homeowners have opted out of the Seasonal Savings program. 

How to Disable Your Nest Thermostat’s Seasonal Savings Feature 

A number of people have documented trouble opting out of the Seasonal Savings feature. While the location of this setting could be different according to your specific Nest model, other users are worried that Google is intentionally making it harder to opt out of Seasonal Savings. To make sure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll describe the ways other users have had success. 

1. Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually adjusting the temperature should supersede the Seasonal Savings program, but many users have observed this isn’t entirely accurate. If you note your Nest repeatedly reversing your changes, you’ll probably prefer to disable the feature outright. 

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 points users to their History to disable Seasonal Savings, but other users have found this option within Settings. Once disabled, the feature is temporarily off until the following summer or winter. 

3. Shutting off 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 report the disable option is missing. 

4. Opting out before the program begins: The Seasonal Savings program is only available during summer and winter. Your smart device is supposed to be sent a notification when the program is about to start, offering you the opportunity to opt out. 

When Seasonal Savings is running, your Nest is supposed to display a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If the Nest is experiencing issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is missing, your trouble may be with yet another setting entirely. 

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

Different settings on Nest smart thermostats besides Seasonal Savings can lead to automatic temperature changes. If these settings are active during Seasonal Savings, even disabling the program may not deter the thermostat from making adjustments. Luckily, these settings can be turned off. You’ll also have options if the issue is a third party like the power company. 

5. Switching off Auto-Schedule: The Nest Thermostat E and Nest Learning Thermostat both give you the Auto-Schedule feature, using their capacity to study your preferences to define the ideal schedule. Going into Settings and switching off Auto-Schedule should prevent other automatic adjustments such as Seasonal Savings. 

1. Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats will still switch to eco temperatures if you have an auto-switching setting like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These functions automatically regulate the temperature when the thermostat thinks that no one is home. 

6. Leaving the utility company’s energy agreement: Since your energy provider may be remotely controlling a Nest thermostat, opting out of the agreement should take away remote access. You can obtain the full details of these agreements with your energy provider. 

7. Contacting Google support: If nothing else works, reaching out to Google’s technical support might be of help. Staff can guide you to resetting the Nest or finding the appropriate setting to switch off Seasonal Savings. 

If the Problem Persists, Your Thermostat Could Be Malfunctioning 

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

If you want local service for your smart thermostat in the U.S., get in touch with the comfort specialists at Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing. They can help you find out the best way to stop a stubborn Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.