Honeywell RTH230B 5-2 Day Programmable Thermostat

I just installed this in my apartment myself to a replace an aging SimpleComfort2001 thermostat that was the original equipment installed when the building was built. The swap was relatively easy (for context, I am an amateur DIY mechanic but never have fiddled with electric before and have never replaced a thermostat).My main concerns in finding a new thermostat were (1) is the temperature readout accurate?, (2) low price, and (3) simplicity - I didn't need an overly fancy thermostat for the one bedroom apartment I share with my girlfriend and dog, (4) reputable brand if possible, and (5) programmable.This thermostat met all of the above requirements. To be honest, a programmable thermostat is not something I have ever utilized before but let me be the first to say that it's great!After installing the thermostat, I set it - which is done by first setting Saturday-Sunday's cooling/heating routine, and adjusting the four different "Zones" or "periods" in which the AC or heat will run during those days, and then doing the same for Monday-Friday. After the first day I adjusted the settings once more to account for the fact that the readout on the thermostat was about one degree higher (because it was more accurate than the old thermostat) and, therefore, my "Zone" temperatures were off one degree.Literally since then I have not touched the thermostat at all except to "interrupt" the schedule if the temperature is a little too hot or too cold. To interrupt the cycle, all you have to do press up or down on the thermostat buttons (I usually only tweak it one degree in temp. if necessary), and the "Zone" is automatically overridden for a period of two hours, after which time, the "Zone" reverts back to the schedule.The alternative, of course, is to simply switch off the "Zone" mode and run the thermostat like your average non-programmable thermostat in which you raise and lower the temperature at your discretion.People mention in other reviews that the cover doesn't have a hinge. From looking at the photos, you can't even tell there is a cover. However, the cover is the middle plastic piece surrounding the screen. If you pull from the top it unlatches and pops right off. Below the cover are a series of buttons for setting the time, the "Zones", and the thermostat program (traditional or Zone).I would say the three negatives to this product are actually positives for others. (1) It doesn't have a backlight (which is why it is much cheaper than other thermostats with backlights). (2) It isn't complex and only has two programmable "Zones" so you can't program every day of the week (for me, this simplifies things as I don't need different Zones Mon-Fri. (3) If you have a big house, this thermostat obviously doesn't have temp. sensors you could strategically locate throughout your house to ensure it was cool enough throughout (these sensors are only available on high-end thermostats and aren't practical in this price range).Enjoy!

It's hot this summer in Central Texas and we grew weary of the house being so warm when we came in from work. We decided to check into a programmable thermostat. We found this one, and we are extremely pleased. We ordered the thermostat, and paid a HVAC technician to come in and install the unit. It has worked flawlessly from the start. It is able to be programmed to go into a sleep cycle at night, to shut off in the AM when we leave for work, and to come on before we come home from work. It works well and we have no problem with the programming. We can also override for faster cooling if needs be. We would recommend this model to anyone for their basic thermostat needs; I don't know if it makes a difference but our house is about 1450 sq.ft.

Low and behold, our replacement is working well! The misfiring thermostat relay caused a weird error with our 2 year old furnace that required a motherboard reset - didn't even know that was possible. Luckily the "status light" and codes on the inside of the furnace let our maintenance guy know exactly what needed to be done. Once we hooked up the new thermostat and reset the furnace, everything started working well again!Previous Review:"6 month life"This thermostat worked great- for 6 months. It worked fine out of the package and, having read these reviews, I figured we hadn't gotten a dud! Hooray!Until this week, when it hit 40-something degrees overnight and we started getting a bit chilly. Flipped it to heat, the furnace fired up and that was it. Literally started up once. The thermostat stopped relaying the on/off to the furnace. It was programmed to be 70' and dropped to 63 overnight and again to 60 while I was at work. The poor puppy was so cold when I got home!A call to Honeywell's Customer Service had me disconnect the red and white wires and "emergency start" the furnace- confirming that indeed, the 6 month old thermostat had bitten the dust. Ridiculous.HOWEVER- mad props to Amazon for making it right! Since the thermostat has a 1-year warranty, I emailed customer service and they 1-day shipped a replacement unit! New thermostat within 24 hours?? THAT'S SERVICE!!Will update when the thermostat is delivered this afternoon and I install. Thank goodness I already know how to wire and program this model! Should be a quick install!

I haven't installed these thermostats yet, but I had previously bought this model. It is simple enough to program. The reason I bought them again is that I wanted the thermostats to run from the house electricity. I have had a difficult time finding any brand thermostat locally or on line that had the "C" wire slot. If somehow there is an issue I will revise the review.

I ordered this to replace a manual thermostat. What should have been a simple install turned into a very cold overnight ordeal. Instructions included are very weak and do not include crucial diagrams. After 3 calls to the Honeywell help line, I was informed I had a defective unit and needed to return it. A trip to HD proved helpful. I got an upgraded unit (also Honeywell) with backlight for $24.99. In addition, the setup and instructions were much more user friendly. I would NOT recommend this particular model.