This thermostat is worth every penny! It does exactly what it should do, and the instructions were perfect for my heating/cooling system. I didn't have any problems putting it in.
What the other review didn't mention is that this thermostat has extra features over the other Hunter models. The big difference is the Energy usage information. It tracks the amount of time that the system was on today, yesterday, this week, last week, and total since you installed it. It's neat being able to come home and see that the air conditioning was on for only 30 minutes, or on for 2 hours. This helps you figure out how your thermostat settings are affecting your real energy usage. It also has a filter reset reminder, which tracks the number of hours that the system has been used with the current filter. This is useful, since most filters say they last 3 months. But the real lifetime of the filter is based on how much air has been blown through it. You could run it for 12 hours a day, and it might only last one month. On the other hand, you could run it only 10 minutes a day, and it would probably last 6 months. With the filter reminder, it's able to tell you when you truly need to replace the filter.
Also, the backlight works perfectly in my opinion. It only stays on for 5 seconds after you stop pushing any buttons. So if you are programming things, then it continually stays on until you are done programming. Plus, if you are just checking the current temperature or setting, 5 seconds is more than enough time to read a 2-digit number. I love this thermostat, and recommended it to a friend who loves it as well. It's much lower-priced compared to other competitors like Honeywell, and has a nice, simple interface. The blue backlight is gorgeous as well, and other brands don't all offer an indiglo backlight like this one does. There really isn't anything I don't like about this product. I HIGHLY recommend it! Hunter Fan Company 44360 7-Day Energy Star Programmable Thermostat
After about 2 weeks use, I am very pleased with this thermostat. It works as advertised, is easy to set up (don't know what the other reviewer was talking about...if anything about this would be difficult, it would be the way your existing wiring is set up, NOT the way this thermostat sets up. It's a totally standard installation for this type of unit), and the blue indiglo looks really nice when it comes on. I also like how all but 3 buttons are concealed by the front swing-down lid, which gives it a cleaner, simpler look as opposed to resembling something you'd see in a cockpit. The features are pretty much the same you'd get on comparable models, PLUS my favorite of all, the energy monitor function. I'm sort of a geek when it comes to stats and energy use, weather, etc. and it's fun to keep track of how much time your system worked for during each day, week...it makes it easier to predict your next heating/cooling bill. Most of the competing thermostats cost 2-3 times as much as this, and I don't like the aesthetic quality of the others as much as this one.
Now, on to this "word of caution" I mentioned in the subject line. I almost gave this product an angry 1-star review, but I'm glad I waited it out. I'm not sure if this was an issue with this specific product, or an issue common to all digital thermostats, but the first one I ordered had a defective thermometer. It was reading 3 degrees F. below the actual temperature. When I first powered the thermostat, I placed it next to the digital one I was replacing, as well as a third analog thermometer for comparison. I put them all next to each other in several different spots in my house, and let them regulate for 10 minutes before checking. Sure enough, every time the Hunter read 3 degrees too low, so I knew it was defective. I called Hunter's tech support and they said I would need to return it to the place I bought it because there's no way to fix it. At first I was peeved because since I bought it online, I would have to pack it, go to the post office and ship it...luckily I was in a good mood that day, and Amazon has a great replacement policy. I had a new replacement the very next day, and I ran the same comparison tests. This one was spot on with the other two.
So, the moral of the story is, make sure your thermometer is accurate! If I hadn't noticed the discrepancy and just hooked it up and went about my business, I would be wasting money by heating my house an unnecessary amount. That would have canceled out the whole energy-efficient point of these things - and then some. True, I probably would have noticed "hey, it feels warmer than 68...", but maybe not. All in all, I love this thing!
This unit represents a good value. It has lots of thoughtful features, such as a button to tell it that you are home for the day and want the heat to stay on, and a meter than tells you how many hours of heat you have been using. It also offers plenty of programming flexibility that you would have to pay more for with products from other manufacturers.
I also use the backlit 5-2 Honeywell. The Honeywell costs more, has fewer features, and in my view, at least, is not meaningfully easier to program, and is certainly no easier to use on a daily basis. I felt the Hunter had better installation instructions. The Honeywell's biggest strength is that it is smaller. Using it, I often find myself wishing it had some of the features found on the Hunter.
My biggest gripe with this Hunter model is that the backlight makes an annoying, high pitch noise. It is also a little too large for my taste. Dollar for dollar, though, versus the competition, this is money well spent.
I selected this thermostat as a replacement for my original that came with the house and had only two functions, on and off, both selections being manual. After vigorously accomplishing research and comparing features, I compared two brands, Honeywell and Hunter. Realizing my defunct thermostat was a Honeywell, I opted for the Hunter for several other reasons, such as cost, and return on investment. This thermostat is programmable, and will pay for itself in a matter of several electrical billing cycles for the summer with air conditioning in demand, or a winter season.
It was so darn easy to install, that if you are capable of screwing in two screws and connecting your thermostat wires that are color coded, you can not go wrong. It may be a good idea to see which wires are connected to your old thermostat first and then write the information down on a piece of paper so you can re-wire the new thermostat using the color coding of the old thermostat to avoid any issues. I merely attached the back plate, connected the wires and inserted two AA batteries and was going in less than ten minutes. It was easier to program than Tivo and comes pre-programmed with an energy savings plan. These settings can be kept or customized freely.
This green thermostat tells a story. How long the AC or heat has been on throughout the day, the past days of the week, or the entire week and can be programmed daily which really worked for me. I wished all thermostats came with the amount of features that this one did, as it would have made my selection much more difficult. - Progammable Thermostat - 7-day - Hunter - Thermostat'
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