Honeywell programmable thermostats allow you to create a temperature schedule for your home. The hold function is an inbuilt feature that allows you to override this schedule.
What is a temporary hold and how do I turn it on?
Honeywell programmable thermostats, with the temporary hold feature, let you suspend a programmed schedule. This is so you can adjust the current temperature to your desired level until a certain time. You will be able to input how long you want the “hold” to continue, usually up to 11 hours.
Some models without this function will resume the schedule on the next programmed period (your display might indicate a “Hold Until” time).
For most models, you can easily turn on a temporary hold by pressing the +/- or up/down buttons. If it is available, you will have the option to set a Hold Until time, giving the hold a fixed period.
How to turn off a temporary hold
If you change your mind, you can cancel the temporary hold at any time to resume your usual thermostat schedule.
This can be done easily by pressing Run, Cancel, Run Schedule, Use Schedule, Remove Hold, or Cancel Hold, depending on your Honeywell thermostat's model.
Other models might have a ↵ button instead, for canceling the hold. If you are finding any difficulty in doing this, you can refer to your user manual/guide for instructions. Click here to find the user manual for your Honeywell thermostat.
What is a permanent hold and how do I turn it on?
The Honeywell thermostat permanent hold feature, unlike the temporary hold, lets you manually set the temperature. This is for an indefinite amount of time, overriding the programmed schedule completely.
For the earlier models, this was the only temperature hold option where you press the HOLD button and then toggle the keys to set your desired temperature.
If you have the newer Honeywell thermostat models, such as those with touchscreen functionality or an app to configure your settings remotely, you can press +/- or up/down buttons to override the thermostat schedule.
Afterward, check from the options below to see which steps apply to your Honeywell thermostat model:
- Press Hold or
- Press Hold Until, then either of the following: Permanent Hold, Switch to Permanent Hold, Permanently, Permanent
How do I turn off a permanent hold?
Turning off the Honeywell thermostat's permanent hold setting is easy. It is usually the same for turning off a temporary hold.
Depending on your model, you can go ahead and press Run, Cancel, Run Schedule, Use Schedule, Remove Hold, or Cancel Hold.
For other models such as the T4 Pro, press the +/- or up/down buttons first then press Cancel or Remove Hold. If you have the Lyric™ T5 Wi-Fi, press Permanent Hold and then press Run Schedule.
Benefits of the hold function and when to use it
There are many situations when you need to break the pattern and suspend your normal thermostat schedule. Fortunately, there is no need to reconfigure your settings to accommodate your plans with the hold function. This way you have less to worry about if you have planned to go on a vacation or holiday escapade.
This function is also handy for times when you have guests over who may prefer rooms on the warmer or cooler side.
If you are stepping out for a while you can also override the levels down to a cooler setting.
Brief Changes
For those times when you just want a brief change of temperature, like a short nap or a quick lunch with a couple of friends at home, a temporary hold might be a good choice.
What about a permanent hold? If you or your family are going away for a few days, the permanent hold feature set to a conservative level is a great way to lower your energy bill. Your bank account will thank you!
Differences between smart, programmable, and non-programmable thermostats
The earliest versions of thermostats lacked the basic features of modern ones. The first commercial thermostats were considered luxurious for having a wind-up clock and a bulky thermometer.
Early “programmable” thermostats wouldn't be called programmable by today's standards. They could set two schedules and were only compatible with certain heating systems limited to furnaces and boilers.
Digital Thermostats
Thermostats today are far superior to those back then, now electronic and equipped with a digital clock with extra information. They also have the ability to control multiple devices including heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems. Non-programmable thermostats are limited to the simple functionality of being manually set to one temperature.
Programmable thermostats can be set to automatically change temperature according to schedules. Some thermostats are limited to the whole week, or weekdays and weekends (5-2 day) settings. Other models have day-to-day configurations (7-day).
Smart Thermostats
The next generation of thermostats are smart thermostats, having all of the features of the previous categories and more. For the smart thermostat, wireless capabilities are a basic function to align to the smart home's connected qualities.
Many have counterpart apps for smartphones for remote functionality and integration with other smart home technologies such as virtual assistants.
Advanced features of smart thermostats include …
- Location tracking temperature control (adjusting temperature according to your proximity to your home),
- Monitoring with notifications or alerts (for things like extreme levels or system maintenance needs),
- Integrated sensors for “smarter” energy and money savings. Intelligent or even AI technologies are being added or developed to innovate thermostat technology.
Conclusion
The Honeywell thermostat hold function is a great way of overriding the standard programming.
Turning this setting on and off is as easy as one or two presses. Taking advantage of this feature helps you save energy to reduce your bills or contribute to the environment. At the very least, it gives you the benefit of convenience to make quick changes to the temperature of your home.