天美传媒

How to聽Disable聽Your Nest Thermostats Seasonal Savings Program

Smart thermostats聽are聽increasing聽in popularity as more and more homeowners聽search for聽ways to聽reduce聽their energy聽expenses. These聽devices聽can be programmed to聽automatically聽maintain聽the temperature聽inside your聽home聽according to聽your聽daily聽schedule. They also have the聽capacity聽to聽memorize聽any聽preferences over time.聽As a result, you can聽save money聽on your energy bills by聽seeing to it聽that your聽HVAC system is only on聽when you need it.

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

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

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

Alternatively, there are聽claims聽that the program is聽inconsistent聽and聽difficult聽to use. Homeowners are聽concerned聽that the program is聽actually聽increasing their energy bills instead of聽shrinking聽them. And when they聽try聽to disable or opt out of Seasonal Savings, they’ve聽noticed聽the聽setting聽to do so is聽hard聽to find or聽entirely聽missing. In聽many聽cases people have even聽discovered聽it being聽turned聽back on after it was disabled.

Smart thermostats are聽expected聽to聽improve聽the efficiency of your聽HVAC system. While automatic temperature聽adjustments聽are a聽widespread聽feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t聽overrule聽your聽desired聽settings. If聽a聽Nest聽isn't meeting聽your comfort preferences,聽shutting off聽the Seasonal Savings聽is the聽correct聽move.

But First, Why Is This聽A Problem?

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

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

But what if the聽feature聽is聽malfunctioning聽or just聽dismissing聽your preferences? Whatever the reason聽is, you don’t want a feature to聽increase聽your energy use without your聽consent. We’ll聽share聽how other聽users聽have聽switched off聽the Seasonal Savings program.

How to Disable Your Nest Thermostat’s Seasonal Savings Feature

A number of people have聽documented聽trouble聽shutting off聽the Seasonal Savings feature. While the location of this setting聽could聽be different聽depending on聽your specific Nest model, other users are聽nervous聽that Google is聽purposely聽making it聽tougher聽to聽disable聽Seasonal Savings. To聽make sure聽you can opt out no matter what, we’ll聽include聽the ways other users have聽found聽success.

1. Overriding Seasonal Savings:聽Manually聽setting聽the temperature should聽supersede聽the Seasonal Savings program, but聽many聽users have聽observed聽this isn’t聽the case. If you聽notice聽your Nest聽repeatedly聽reversing聽your changes, you’ll probably聽opt聽to聽shut off聽the feature聽completely.
2. Disabling聽the聽feature聽from the Nest app:聽Your phone or tablet’s Nest app聽should聽have a History option and a Settings option. Google聽guides聽users to their History to聽switch off聽Seasonal Savings, but other聽users聽have聽located聽this option聽under聽Settings. Once disabled, the聽feature聽is temporarily off until the聽subsequent聽summer or winter.
3. Stopping聽the program from the Nest thermostat:聽Your thermostat should also聽possess聽a History option where you can聽disable聽Seasonal Savings, but聽many聽homeowners聽report聽the disable option is聽gone.
4. Opting out before the program聽begins:聽The Seasonal Savings program is only聽accessible聽during聽summer and winter. Your smart device聽will聽get聽a notification when the program is about to聽launch,聽allowing聽you the聽time聽to opt out.

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

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

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

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

If the Problem Persists, Your Thermostat Could Be Malfunctioning

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

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