diff --git a/cluster/aws/util.sh b/cluster/aws/util.sh
index 7cdd30fa10e..777310c6243 100644
--- a/cluster/aws/util.sh
+++ b/cluster/aws/util.sh
@@ -106,14 +106,14 @@ function ensure-temp-dir {
 }
 
 function setup-monitoring {
-  if [ ${MONITORING-} ]; then
+  if [[ "${ENABLE_CLUSTER_MONITORING}" == "true" ]]; then
     # TODO: Implement this.
     echo "Monitoring not currently supported on AWS"
   fi
 }
 
 function teardown-monitoring {
-  if [ ${MONITORING-} ]; then
+  if [[ "${ENABLE_CLUSTER_MONITORING}" == "true" ]]; then
     # TODO: Implement this.
     echo "Monitoring not currently supported on AWS"
   fi
diff --git a/cluster/gce/config-default.sh b/cluster/gce/config-default.sh
index 6ee7574b7f7..45d741874d0 100755
--- a/cluster/gce/config-default.sh
+++ b/cluster/gce/config-default.sh
@@ -35,8 +35,10 @@ MINION_SCOPES=("storage-ro" "compute-rw")
 # Increase the sleep interval value if concerned about API rate limits. 3, in seconds, is the default.
 POLL_SLEEP_INTERVAL=3
 PORTAL_NET="10.0.0.0/16"
-# When set to true, heapster will be setup as part of the cluster bring up.
-MONITORING=true
+
+# Optional: When set to true, heapster will be setup as part of the cluster bring up.
+ENABLE_CLUSTER_MONITORING=true
+
 # Turn on Elasticsearch logging unless Google Cloud Logging has been selected or
 # if Elasticsearch logging has been specifically turned off.
 if [[ "${FLUENTD_GCP-}" != "true" ]]; then
diff --git a/cluster/gce/config-test.sh b/cluster/gce/config-test.sh
index c2939d8f45b..3e4469e2e39 100755
--- a/cluster/gce/config-test.sh
+++ b/cluster/gce/config-test.sh
@@ -35,7 +35,8 @@ MINION_SCOPES=("storage-ro" "compute-rw")
 # Increase the sleep interval value if concerned about API rate limits. 3, in seconds, is the default.
 POLL_SLEEP_INTERVAL=3
 PORTAL_NET="10.0.0.0/16"
-MONITORING=false
 
 # When set to true, Docker Cache is enabled by default as part of the cluster bring up.
 ENABLE_DOCKER_REGISTRY_CACHE=true
+
+ENABLE_CLUSTER_MONITORING=false
diff --git a/cluster/gce/util.sh b/cluster/gce/util.sh
index 3b80d19661d..3328cc61969 100755
--- a/cluster/gce/util.sh
+++ b/cluster/gce/util.sh
@@ -566,7 +566,7 @@ function restart-kube-proxy {
 
 # Setup monitoring using heapster and InfluxDB
 function setup-monitoring {
-  if [[ "${MONITORING}" == "true" ]]; then
+  if [[ "${ENABLE_CLUSTER_MONITORING}" == "true" ]]; then
     echo "Setting up cluster monitoring using Heapster."
 
     if ! gcloud compute firewall-rules describe monitoring-heapster &>/dev/null; then
@@ -604,7 +604,7 @@ function setup-monitoring {
 }
 
 function teardown-monitoring {
-  if [[ "${MONITORING}" == "true" ]]; then
+  if [[ "${ENABLE_CLUSTER_MONITORING}" == "true" ]]; then
     detect-project
 
     local kubectl="${KUBE_ROOT}/cluster/kubectl.sh"