How to Disable Your Nest Thermostats Seasonal Savings Program

Smart thermostats are gaining in popularity as more and more homeowners seek out ways to reduce their energy costs. These devices can be programmed to conveniently adjust the temperature in your home based on your daily schedule. They also have the ability to learn your preferences over time. As a result, you can save money on your energy bills by making sure that your home is only heated or cooled when you need it. 

Google’s smart thermostat is the Nest, and many homeowners are satisfied with its features and overall efficiency. But one feature–the Seasonal Savings program–may be making trouble instead of helping your HVAC system. Consistent issues are forcing homeowners to find out how to disable this feature. We’ll share the problems some people are having with Seasonal Savings and include instructions for how to opt out of the program. 

Many Homeowners Say the Seasonal Savings Program Isn’t Working Like It Should 

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

Instead, there are reports that the program is inconsistent and frustrating to use. Homeowners are complaining that the program is actually increasing their energy bills instead of reducing them. And when they try to disable or opt out of Seasonal Savings, they’ve discovered the way to do so is difficult to find or outright missing. In some cases people have even noticed it being turned back on after it was disabled. 

Smart thermostats are supposed to improve the efficiency of your HVAC system. While automatic temperature adjustments are a common feature in smart thermostats, it shouldn’t override your desired settings. If your Nest isn’t meeting your comfort preferences, disabling the Seasonal Savings feature is the right move. 

But First, Why Is This Happening? 

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

These agreements help you enhance your home’s energy efficiency. They may include rebates on new equipment or special offers for renewable energy products. But many people are surprised to learn they also grant 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 adjust the temperature. You may be having problems with the Seasonal Savings program because a utility company is taking advantage of this remote access. 

But what if the program is faulty or just ignoring your preferences? Whatever the reason may be, you don’t want a feature to increase your energy use without your permission. 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 could be different based on your specific Nest model, other users are concerned that Google is intentionally making it harder to turn off Seasonal Savings. To make sure you can opt out no matter what, we’ll list the ways other users have found success. 

1. Overriding Seasonal Savings: Manually changing the temperature should override the Seasonal Savings program, but quite a few users have found this isn’t the case. If you notice your Nest consistently reversing your changes, you’ll probably want to disable the feature entirely. 

2. Disabling the program from the Nest app: Your phone or tablet’s Nest app should have a History option and a Settings option. Google directs users to their History to disable Seasonal Savings, but other users have found this option under Settings. Once disabled, the feature is temporarily off until the next summer or winter. 

3. Disabling the program from the Nest thermostat: Your thermostat should also have a History option where you can turn off Seasonal Savings, but some homeowners report the disable option is missing. 

4. Opting out before the program starts: The Seasonal Savings program is only available during summer and winter. Your smart device should receive a notification when the program is about to start, allowing you the chance to opt out. 

When Seasonal Savings is active, your Nest will show a small yellow symbol of a leaf. If your Nest is experiencing issues and the Seasonal Savings icon is missing, your problem may be with another setting entirely. 

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

Other features on Nest smart thermostats aside from Seasonal Savings can result in automatic temperature changes. If these features are active during Seasonal Savings, even disabling the program may not prevent the thermostat from making alterations. Fortunately, these settings can be disabled. You’ll also have options if the headache is a third party like your power company. 

5. 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 ideal schedule. Going into Settings and turning off Auto-Schedule should disable other automatic adjustments such as Seasonal Savings. 

1. Disabling auto switching: Nest thermostats can still switch to eco temperatures if you possess an auto-switching feature like Home & Away Routines or Home/Away Assist. These features automatically adjust the temperature when the thermostat detects that no one is home. 

6. Leaving the utility company’s energy agreement: Since your energy provider could be remotely controlling your Nest thermostat, opting out of the agreement should remove unwanted access. You can locate the full details of these agreements through your energy provider. 

7. Calling Google support: If nothing else works, reaching out to Google’s technical support may be of help. Staff can direct you to resetting the Nest or locating the appropriate setting to disable Seasonal Savings. 

If the Problem Continues, Your Thermostat May Be Malfunctioning 

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

If you’d like local service for your smart thermostat in Fort Worth, get in touch with the comfort professionals at Calverley Service Experts. They can help you determine the best way to disable a stubborn Seasonal Savings program on your Nest thermostat.