How to Change the Temperature on a Honeywell Thermostat

Honeywell thermostats include basic analog models that you adjust manually, digital thermostats in standard and programmable models, and smart thermostats that operate on wi-fi to control your HVAC system remotely. To learn how to set a Honeywell thermostat temperature, it's best to follow the instructions in the user manual for the specific thermostat model number, but don't worry if you can't find your owner's manual — most Honeywell thermostats have similar functions for temperature settings, whether you're changing the system setting for a program schedule or you just want to adjust the desired temperature temporarily.

Here's how to set a Honeywell thermostat's temperature settings up or down.

To modify the temperature on a basic non-programmable Honeywell digital thermostat (such as thermostat models in the 500o series), just press the up arrow or or down arrow to set the desired temperature. The screen will illuminate as soon as you press a button. The temperature will stay at the new setting until you change it again.

To change the temperature settings on a programmable thermostat model:

1. Select the Menu tab on your programmable thermostat, then press Schedule. Each day or period will be displayed.
2. Choose the period you want to set your thermostat for, whether it's a specific day of the week or a time period of one or more days.
3. Press the plus or minus icon to set the time in 15-minute increments.
4. Touch the Temperature tab, then set the heating or cooling temperature you want.
5. Touch the Select tab, but don't let it go right away. Continue to hold it until it reads "done."
6. Touch Select again to save your new temperature reading.

Maybe it's a really hot day and you want to run your air conditioning a bit more than usual. Or maybe you've just come in from a day in the cold, and you want your home to be a bit warmer than normal. In either case, you don't want to mess with the programmed temperatures on your regular set schedule.

You can temporarily override the program schedule simply by increasing or decreasing your temperature setting. Doing this won't permanently alter your thermostat settings. The word "Temporary" will flash on the thermostat display. The new temperature will remain until the programmed time for the temperature change begins, and your thermostat will revert back to its programmed setting.

If you want to temporarily keep the temperature above or below the programmed setting, press the Hold tab to hold the new setting indefinitely. When you do this, you'll see the word "Hold" on the screen. Once you decide to return to your programmed setting, press the "run" tab, and that will cancel the override. Remember that once you change the temperature setting, the thermostat will then show the current temperature until the room warms or cools to its newly set temperature.

Wi-fi-enabled Honeywell thermostats, such as the Lyric 5 and T6 thermostats, can be programmed using the touchscreen on the face of the thermostat or using the wi-fi thermostat app on your phone or other wi-fi device. Adjusting the temperature up and down to change the room temperature is easiest to do using the touchscreen. Simply press the press the up arrow or down arrow on the home screen to change to the desired temperature. This temperature setting will remain in effect until the next scheduled temperature change (when using a time-based program schedule) or geofence event (when using a location-based program).

You can also override the programmed temperature settings using either the temporary hold or permanent hold settings.

This setting maintains the new temperature setting for up to 12 hours.

1. Press the up button (+) or down button (-) on the touchscreen to set the desired temperature. You will see the words Hold Until (on the right side of the screen) and numbers indicating the end time of the hold setting.
2. Press the end time numbers until they blink.
3. Press the up button (+) or down button (-) to change the end time of the hold; the maximum is 12 hours ahead.
4. Press Hold Until to complete the temperature and time settings. The thermostat will stay at the new temperature until the next programmed schedule change.

This setting maintains the new temperature setting until you change it again manually or you establish a new schedule setting.

1. Press the up button (+) or down button (-) to set the desired temperature.
2. Press the words Hold Until (on the right side of the screen).
3. Press the words Permanent Hold.

According to Energy Star, a properly used programmable thermostat saves an average of $180 annually in energy costs. Any Honeywell programmable thermostat has energy-saving capability because it lets you automatically lower the heat (or raise the temperature for your cooling system) while you're sleeping or out of the house so you're not unnecessarily heating or cooling a space you're not using.

The newest programmable thermostats feature seven-day digital options, touchscreens and default settings that make it easy to return your heating and cooling schedule to the preferred settings. You may even be able to program your thermostat from afar using Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.

When you're buying a programmable thermostat, make sure it's compatible with your existing HVAC system. The type of thermostat also may determine the scheduling capability:

• Basic Honeywell programmable thermostats use the same temperature settings for every day. Seven-day thermostats allow you to schedule a full week, with specific settings for each day
• Five-two day (5-2) thermostats allow you to set for weekday and weekend settings
• Smart home thermostats allow for seven-day scheduling as well and automatically adjusting temperature using geofencing technology.