The Honeywell RTH221B Basic Programmable Thermostat is termed as a ‘basic’ thermostat, or a 1 week thermostat, because it has only 1 program to set up. However, basic should not be considered a pejorative term. Rather it is a descriptive term. This post will look at the advantages of installing a basic programmable thermostat in your home and why less might be more for some people.
The Honeywell RTH221B Thermostat
This basic thermostat is great value at just over $20. It is the cheapest Energy Star approved thermostat available on Amazon.com and a best seller. The thermostat is compatible with heating only, cooling only, central air, gravity/steam, hot water and 750 millivolt systems. It is in a vertical style, unlike most other programmable thermostats, and nicely fits the hole left by mercury bubble thermostats.
The thermostat comes with a clear and comprehensive instruction manual and is easy to install once the manual has been read. This Honeywell is also quite easy to program. As mentioned before, it has just 1 program to set up. This program consists of 4 periods of heating/cooling – wake, leave, return and sleep. If any of these 4 periods are not needed they can be easily skipped.
The purpose of a programmable thermostat is to set up programs that match the working of the HVAC systems with the movements of the people in a house in order to save money and reduce carbon emissions. Having 1 program to cover every day of the week is ideal for people who work from home or for people who are retired. If you have a weekday job and like to keep different hours on the weekend then this thermostat might not be for you. However, if you are prepared to spend a few minutes in the morning programming the thermostat it is not impossible to make do with a 1 week thermostat.
By cutting out waste (by avoiding heating or cooling an empty house) and by using sensible settings you can reduce your HVAC bills by as much as 30% a year. That is a big reduction in household spending.
Who Is This Thermostat For?
There are those people who are drawn to new technology and that like as many functions or ‘apps’ as possible on their technology. For these people, more is better. The opposite camp is made up of people who just want technology to perform a basic function – they want a cell phone that can make a call; not that can take a photo or show TV programs. For the later group, the Honeywell RTH221B Basic Thermostat will appeal. It is a simple but effective thermostat that anyone in the family can operate. The only special function it has is a temporary hold button, which is quite easy to figure out.
So consider the price of this thermostat, consider what type of person you are and also consider your lifestyle and then make a decision on whether it is the right programmable thermostat for you.
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