One of the advantages of buying a Honeywell RTH7500D is that it is compatible with most HVAC systems. It can regulate central air, heating only, cooling only, hot water, electric furnaces, 750 Millivolt systems and up to 2 stages of heating and 2 stages of cooling. It can also manage single and multi stage heat pumps. Moreover, with the Honeywell RTH7500D you have the option to power the device from either batteries or the mains.

The Honeywell RTH7500D allows you set up 4 periods of heating for each day of the week. By matching these periods with your schedule you make your home a lot more energy efficient and make considerable savings on your bills.

For added home comfort the Honeywell RTH7500D also has smart response technology that learns how long it takes to pre-heat or pre-cool a room so at the start of a programmed period the room is the desired temperature.

Another great feature is auto change-over. This function detects the changing of the seasons and automatically switches between heating and cooling to make sure the set point temperature is always maintained.

If there is a change in time due to daylight saving the Honeywell RTH7500D will automatically make adjustments and if there is a power blackout the thermostat will retain your programmed settings.

Lastly, the thermostat is easy to install. If you do run into difficulties there is a Honeywell helpline that you can call and they will quickly solve the problem for you. Programming is via soft buttons on the front of the device. There is a large backlit display for you to check your settings.

Reviews of the Honeywell RTH7500D are overwhelmingly positive. This is a thermostat that does what it says it will do and won’t let you down.

Price and Warranty

You can buy a cheap programmable thermostat for as little as $30. The more expensive models cost about $100. As with most things in life you get what you pay for. Thus, the cheaper models do the job but often lack other useful functions. Also beware! The cheaper programmable thermostats often have more limited compatibility with HVAC systems. If you have a multi-stage heating/cooling system then you will need a programmable thermostat that is in the mid-range price bracket. The most important thing to remember is that a programmable thermostat will save you money. If used properly it can reduce your heating/cooling costs by $180 a year. Thus, even an expensive programmable thermostat soon pays for itself.

What is more important is a warranty and good customer service. Don’t buy a programmable thermostat without a warranty: if the maker has no faith in the product, then neither should you. Hunter, Lux and Honeywell all offer warranties with their thermostats. Also these companies offer good customer service. This is vital especially when you are installing the thermostat.

Functions

All good programmable thermostats allow you to program in your heating and cooling requirements for each day of the week. And within each day you can program 4 different time periods. Any less than 4 and you shouldn’t buy the thermostat. Many programmable thermostats have single button overrides so that you don’t have to re-program the thermostat if you decide to stay at home one week day. Lux and Honeywell programmable thermostats also have vacation settings to allow the HVAC to just tick over while you are away. Most Lux programmable thermostats also have a lock out function. This allows you to stop people accessing the programs on the thermostat without an access code. The Lux TX900TS Touch Screen 7-Day Programmable Thermostat also has auditory confirmation to help the partially sighted. Other useful functions include warnings to change the filters and replace the batteries on the thermostat. Honeywell programmable thermostats also takes account of day light saving changes in time.

Swing Control

This is a lesser known but key function of a programmable thermostat. If you set your thermostat, for example, at 76 degrees do you want your HVAC cycling every time the temperature drops to 75.75 degrees or rises to 76.25 degrees. If the weather outside is not extreme this is less of a problem, but if it is really cold or hot outdoors your heating/cooling system will cycle many times per hour: this constant turning on and off wears out boilers, furnaces and air-con units. Swing control allows you to set a range within which the room temperature is acceptable to you. This reduces cycling and protects your HVAC system. Both Lux and Hunter programmable thermostats have swing control functions.

These are some of the main things you should look out for when buying a programmable thermostat.

The Honeywell RTH7500D Programmable thermostat can save an average household up to 33% on its annual heating and cooling costs. That amounts to over $700 a year. And when you consider the Honeywell RTH7500D costs only $60 it means the thermostat pays for itself in a month.

Installation is easy for the Honeywell RTH7500D programmable thermostat. It can be made to regulate both single and multi stage systems. It can control separate heating and cooling systems, air conditioner units, gas pumps and even electric fireplaces. The thermostat itself runs on either batteries or off the mains supply.

Once installed the Honeywell RTH7500D Conventional 7-Day Programmable Thermostat is very easy to use. It has smart response technology and an easy-to-understand menu driven interface which uses only 3 buttons. The display screen is big and backlit so it is also suitable for those with poor eyesight.

The thermostat allows you to program in your heating and cooling requirements for each day of the week. And within each day you can program in 4 different periods. This allows you to exactly plan your energy use and save money and reduce your carbon expenditure. Thus you can have the heating on low during the night, have it come on just before you get up, then have it turn off while you are at work and then have it come on again just before you return from your job. This makes your house more comfortable and saves you using your cooling and heating systems wastefully.

The Honeywell RTH7500D thermostat is accurate to within one degrees Fahrenheit and automatically switches between heating and cooling systems as required to make sure the temperature in your house is just as you want it.

Honeywell is a trusted brand. They have been making control technology, automotive parts and products for the aerospace industry for over 120 years. And to further reassure you, every Honeywell RTH7500D Programmable Thermostat comes with a one-year warranty.

This is an excellent example of an Energy Star product that saves you money through energy efficiency and helps the environment. In 2008 government figures show that Energy Star products reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 43 million metric tons.  Buying an Energy Star rated Honeywell RTH7500D is a great first step to being more energy efficient and being more environmentally friendly.

When we talk about oil filled radiator fuel efficiency this has nothing to do with the oil that is contained within the machine. Rather it is to do with the amount of electricity that it uses. Oil filled radiators provide a different kind of heating effect than many other electrical heating appliances. By this we mean that unlike halogen heaters for example that literally start warming the vicinity as soon as they are powered on, oil filled heaters take longer to start their warming effect. Another difference is that their heat is not quite as intense as the halogen electrical heaters. So in effect they take longer to heat up and provide a less extreme level of heat that their halogen lamp counterparts. However this does not mean that they are worse, just that they are different.

On the other side is that once a halogen appliances is turned off, it looses its heat very rapidly. So in effect, these devices only give off a heat when they are actually turned on. Conversely, oil filled radiators continue to give off heat for long after they have been powered off. So it depends upon whether you are after a high or low intensity heat and how quickly you want the temperature of your room to change.

For a given level of electricity, a halogen style heater will heat a room hotter for a shorter period while an oil filled heater will raise the temperature to a lesser extent but for longer. Assuming that both household heating devices are new then their fuel efficiency will be similar, it really just depends on what sort of heating you desire.

All oil filled radiators contain oil however they are not actually powered by burning oil. Instead they require an electric power source. The oil, rather than being fuel, is in effect a component. Electrical heating elements heat up the oil which then transmits its heat into the metal fins of the radiator. There are many benefits to this style of heater which I shall discuss below.

How to choose an oil filled radiator heater

Deciding to buy one of these portable heaters is not the biggest purchasing decision you may make this year for your household. However the cost can range from about $50 to $150 depending on the maker and features you are after.

The more expensive units have digital thermostats whereas cheaper models often just have a dial that controls the cut off temperature. With this it may be difficult to know exactly what temperature you are setting the thermostat control to. On the other hand, while I have had no difficulty with a digital controller there appear to be those on internet forums reporting problems with theirs.

You may also want to think about how you plan on using your heater. For example, if you want to move from room to room, a portable radiator with wheels may be the best option. However to use it in a fixed location, a more sturdy unit may be a better choice.

Oil filled radiator heater benefits

Using these kinds of heating appliances is safer for home and family than other kinds of portable heaters. For example they are much less of a fire risk than electrical halogen lamps whose heating elements are exposed. Unlike gas powered stoves, they do not give off potentially harmful fumes. So safety is a positive feature common to all oil filled radiators. A further safety feature is that should one of these radiators be knocked over the power should automatically cut out.

Once the oil inside becomes hot, they give off heat slowly so it may be possible to avoid huge electricity bills.

Further they are great as portable heaters because many of models, e.g. delonghi oil filled radiators have wheels that are attached to the base of the unit making it easy to move around. This means it is easy to take it from room to room.

Finally, the cost to buy oil filled radiator heaters is fairly cheap. Even though there are running costs associated with using them they can still be considered economical heating options for the the winter months.