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Curious, does anyone have a good manual thermostat that they like? Part of the reason Nest has done so well is most programmable thermostats are horrible to us

Curious, does anyone have a good manual thermostat that they like? Part of the reason Nest has done so well is most programmable thermostats are horrible to use. I'm a product designer and I don't understand how the scheduling works. Scheduling isn't something I really need for my studio. At night I turn the AC on, in the morning I turn it off. Don't really need to turn on the heat in the winter. I'd love is a quality manual thermostat—something like the Honeywell CT87K1004, but with a metal shell. https://www.honeywellstore.com/store/products/the-round-non-progammable-thermostat-ct87k1004.htm https://www.honeywellstore.com/store/products/the-round-non-...

wil421 7y ago
Get a cheap Ecobee lite or one of the many long established manufacturers like Honeywell. I really like Nest but after the Google acquisition I’m not confident in their products being supported. For me I don’t need smart scheduling. My wife works from home and I do a couple days a week. The Ecobee 4’s I have are great and come with a couple room sensors. Had them for a few weeks now. I’ve briefly looked into the API and it looks like I could integrate it with my Raspberry Pi.
- fpgaminer 7y ago
  I have a Honeywell programmable/smart thermostat and am not particularly happy with it. The interface is confusing, and the smart functionality is limited and clunky.
emddudley 7y ago
I've been happy with my Carrier Cor thermostat. It's certainly not beautiful, but it is simple and functional. You can program min/max temperatures and start/end times for 4 parts of the day (morning, day, evening, and night). You can temporarily override the schedule, and you can set vacation temperatures. https://www.carrier.com/residential/en/us/products/thermostats/wifi-thermostats/cor-wi-fi-thermostat-tp-wem01-a/ https://www.carrier.com/residential/en/us/products/thermosta...
ilikehurdles 7y ago
I believe older 87s had the metal shell. I know mine does, and it also has a vial of mercury inside. Wouldn't be suprised if it's older than I am, but it works perfectly though and I have no desire to change it. My downstairs thermostat is a digital programmable one (also honeywell). I've only lived in this place for a year, but it seemed to work fine and simply enough for programming schedules and temperatures. I only use either for heating, we don't use AC in the summer. I've seen digital ones fail over time, and this one will too. It's always a matter of "when", not "if"; but, if the cost is low enough, that may not be a big deal (assuming it doesn't cause a fire on the way out).
PascLeRasc 7y ago
I think there are some objects where adding computers can only make them worse to use. Stereo amplifiers, car interiors, and coffee equipment come to mind, and smart home stuff seems like it's just not a good experience ever. There are some really nice vintage thermostats out there [1] [2]. As far as I can tell they're not a niche collectable so they're still pretty inexpensive too. [1] https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Minneapolis-Honeywell-Stokol-Art-Deco-THERMOSTAT/192843198990?hash=item2ce659b20e:g:m5gAAOSwaP5ceXQE https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Minneapolis-Honeywell-Stoko... [2] https://www.icollector.com/VINTAGE-HONEYWELL-THERMOSTAT_i22899100 https://www.icollector.com/VINTAGE-HONEYWELL-THERMOSTAT_i228...
vl 7y ago
Modern multi-stage Furnaces/ACs/heat pumps need intelligent thermostats to control them in the first place. When there is more control needed than simply on/off, if used with dumb thermostat (or, ironically, Nest) modern equipment is not going to work in the most efficient mode. This is why modern home HVAC systems usually come with their own thermostats, and if you are looking to install new HVAC system, basically the only thing you need to consider is how well thermostat works - everything else is more or less the same. Anyway, my Bryant thermostat works quite fine, and I consider it to be easier to use than Nest, which I had before.

wil421 7y ago

Get a cheap Ecobee lite or one of the many long established manufacturers like Honeywell. I really like Nest but after the Google acquisition I’m not confident in their products being supported. For me I don’t need smart scheduling. My wife works from home and I do a couple days a week. The Ecobee 4’s I have are great and come with a couple room sensors. Had them for a few weeks now. I’ve briefly looked into the API and it looks like I could integrate it with my Raspberry Pi.

fpgaminer 7y ago
I have a Honeywell programmable/smart thermostat and am not particularly happy with it. The interface is confusing, and the smart functionality is limited and clunky.

emddudley 7y ago

I've been happy with my Carrier Cor thermostat. It's certainly not beautiful, but it is simple and functional. You can program min/max temperatures and start/end times for 4 parts of the day (morning, day, evening, and night). You can temporarily override the schedule, and you can set vacation temperatures. https://www.carrier.com/residential/en/us/products/thermostats/wifi-thermostats/cor-wi-fi-thermostat-tp-wem01-a/ https://www.carrier.com/residential/en/us/products/thermosta...

ilikehurdles 7y ago

I believe older 87s had the metal shell. I know mine does, and it also has a vial of mercury inside. Wouldn't be suprised if it's older than I am, but it works perfectly though and I have no desire to change it. My downstairs thermostat is a digital programmable one (also honeywell). I've only lived in this place for a year, but it seemed to work fine and simply enough for programming schedules and temperatures. I only use either for heating, we don't use AC in the summer. I've seen digital ones fail over time, and this one will too. It's always a matter of "when", not "if"; but, if the cost is low enough, that may not be a big deal (assuming it doesn't cause a fire on the way out).

PascLeRasc 7y ago

I think there are some objects where adding computers can only make them worse to use. Stereo amplifiers, car interiors, and coffee equipment come to mind, and smart home stuff seems like it's just not a good experience ever. There are some really nice vintage thermostats out there [1] [2]. As far as I can tell they're not a niche collectable so they're still pretty inexpensive too. [1] https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Minneapolis-Honeywell-Stokol-Art-Deco-THERMOSTAT/192843198990?hash=item2ce659b20e:g:m5gAAOSwaP5ceXQE https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Minneapolis-Honeywell-Stoko... [2] https://www.icollector.com/VINTAGE-HONEYWELL-THERMOSTAT_i22899100 https://www.icollector.com/VINTAGE-HONEYWELL-THERMOSTAT_i228...

vl 7y ago

Modern multi-stage Furnaces/ACs/heat pumps need intelligent thermostats to control them in the first place. When there is more control needed than simply on/off, if used with dumb thermostat (or, ironically, Nest) modern equipment is not going to work in the most efficient mode. This is why modern home HVAC systems usually come with their own thermostats, and if you are looking to install new HVAC system, basically the only thing you need to consider is how well thermostat works - everything else is more or less the same. Anyway, my Bryant thermostat works quite fine, and I consider it to be easier to use than Nest, which I had before.