Nest Thermostat Temperature Adjustment Features: Optimize Energy Savings & Comfort

This article guides you through Rush Hour Rewards, Auto-Eco, Seasonal Savings, and Nest Renew. Find out how each feature adjusts your home's temperature for efficiency, and how to disable them for comfort.

Your Nest thermostat offers several intelligent features designed to help you save energy and reduce your utility bills without sacrificing comfort. Understanding how these features differ and work together can empower you to make the most of your Nest thermostat.

Rush Hour Rewards

This is a utility-based program that incentivizes participants to decrease their energy usage during peak demand periods, often referred to as "energy rush hours." By collectively reducing consumption in an area, participants effectively form a "virtual power plant," which helps lower overall energy costs for utility companies and consumers. Unlike Nest Renew, Rush Hour Rewards might involve larger temperature adjustments (typically up to 4°F or 1°C) over an extended duration (typically 3-4h) during these high-demand events.

Tip: There may also be a preconditioning period prior to the event to reduce discomfort.

Unenroll from Rush Hour Rewards

You’ll need to contact your utility provider or the Google Support team through their Contact Us page. Once unenrolled, your thermostat will no longer participate in these energy-saving events.
Auto-Eco

This enables your Nest thermostat to automatically switch to energy-saving Eco Temperatures when it detects that no one is home. This feature can be identified by "Eco" displayed on your thermostat or in the Google Home or Nest app.

Specific notifications may vary by model. For example, "Auto-Eco," "Eco hold," or "Adaptive Eco" may be displayed. You also have the flexibility to manually activate Eco Temperatures at any time, even when you’re home, for additional energy savings.

While in Eco mode, your system will still operate to ensure your home stays within the set "Cool to" or "Heat to" Eco Temperature ranges. Certain 4th gen Nest Learning Thermostats with Adaptive Eco will pre-heat to your comfort temperature within an hour of your return.

Google Home App

Pause Auto-Eco

  1. Open the Google Home app .
  2. Tap Home  and then Climate .
  3. Select your thermostat.
    • If Auto-Eco is active, it shows “Using Auto-Eco because no one is Home” below the thermostat dial image.
  4. Tap Turn off next to the Auto-Eco message.

Turn off Auto-Eco

  1. Open the Google Home app .
  2. Tap Home  and then  Climate  and then your thermostat.
  3. Tap Settings and then Auto-Eco.
  4. Turn off Automatically use Eco when away.

Nest app

Pause Auto-Eco while it's active

  1. Open the Nest app.
  2. Select your thermostat.
  3. Tap Mode in the lower left to set the mode to Heat/Cool.
  4. Tap Eco in the lower center to end Eco Temperatures on all thermostats.

Turn off Auto-Eco

  1. Open the Nest app.
  2. Select your thermostat.
  3. Tap Settings and then Home/Away Assist.
  4. Turn off Automatically use Eco temperatures when no one’s home?
Seasonal Savings

This is a short-term program offered each summer and winter. If you opt in, Seasonal Savings will make small, gradual temperature adjustments (typically up to 2°F or 1°C) to your thermostat’s schedule to optimize energy efficiency without sacrificing comfort. The program runs for 3 weeks and will respond to temperature changes you make to avoid temperatures that you find uncomfortable.


Important: This setting is currently available for Nest Thermostat (2020) and Nest Thermostat E. It will become available for Nest Learning Thermostat 3rd gen and Nest Thermostat E in the future by October 2025.

Turn off Seasonal Savings

Important: If you opt out or turn Seasonal Savings off, you won’t be able to opt in to the program again until the next season it becomes available.

If you don’t want to use Seasonal Savings, you can turn it off anytime.

Google Home App

  1. Open the Google Home app .
  2. Tap Home  and then Climate and then your thermostat.
  3. Tap Settings and then Nest Sense and then Seasonal Savings.
    • If Seasonal Savings isn't available, it will say “Inactive."
  4. If it's active, tap Leave Seasonal Savings.
  5. To stop receiving future invitations, turn off Get notified about Seasonal Savings.

Nest App

  1. Open the Nest app.
  2. Tap your thermostat and then History Nest protect history icon. .

    • If Seasonal Savings is running, you can check how many days remain.
  3. Tap Stop.
Nest Renew

This is a no charge service available in the continental United States (except Alaska and Hawaii) that integrates with your compatible Nest thermostat to adjust your usage when energy is cleaner or less expensive. It intelligently shifts your energy usage to periods when the grid relies more on clean energy sources or when energy prices are lower. This service enables effortless savings on utility bills, environmental benefits, and community support by making minor, short-term temperature adjustments that align with optimal energy periods.

Turn off Nest Renew shifts

  1. Log in to your Nest Renew account.
  2. Select Settings .
  3. Under “Energy Shift Settings” turn off Standard Savings and/or Time of Use Savings.

Cancel your Nest Renew subscription

  1. Log in to your Nest Renew account.
  2. Tap Settings and then Manage Enrollment and then Unenroll my home.
Smart Schedule and Auto Schedule

These are similar features that learn from the temperature adjustments you make to optimize the temperatures in your schedule.

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