The third biggest selling thermostat on Amazon.com is the Honeywell RTH221B Basic Programmable Thermostat. The reason for the popularity of this thermostat is not just down to its price – just $22 – it is also because it is a simple device.

Many people don’t like complicated devices with lots of programs to set up and lots of functions to figure out. They just want a simple programmable thermostat that can help them better regulate the heating and cooling in the home to improve home comfort and save them money. The Honeywell RTH221B fits the bill admirably.

It is a 1 week thermostat. This means it has a single program for every day of the week. This program has 4 periods to set up – wake, leave, return and sleep. Because there is only one program, this Honeywell thermostat is very quick to program. If you don’t need any of the 4 periods of heating/cooling you can simply hold down a button for a few seconds and the device skips to the next period.

The Honeywell RTH221B is compatible with heating only, cooling only, central air, furnaces, 750 millivolt systems, gas fire places, hot water and single stage heating and cooling. It cannot regulate heat pumps.

There is a very simple display showing time and temperature set point. The thermostat is in a vertical style which might suit some people more than the more common horizontal style.

The only function on the Honeywell RTH221B is a hold button. You can use this to temporarily change the room temperature if you are feeling a bit hot or cold. The temporary change lasts until you press hold again or until a new programmed period starts. You can also set up a program and leave the device on hold for a few days and thus the function can be used as a simple vacation mode.

Finally, the Honeywell RTH221B keeps your settings even after a power outage. The device comes with a 1 year warranty. This thermostat is ideal for people who work from home or for retired people for whom every day is ‘the weekend’. And for $22 you cannot fault the price.

• 1 Week Programming + 4 Periods
• Vertical Style
• Temporary Hold
• Compatible with 1 Stage Heating, 1 Stage Cooling, Gas, Electric, Hot Water, 750 Millivolt
• 1 Year Warranty

• Retains settings after power outage
• Only $22
• Easy to install and program

Click the link to buy a cheap Honeywell RTH221B Basic Programmable Thermostat on Amazon