I own two of these thermostats. One was a new installation for a new furnace, and the other was a recent replacement for another programmable brand.
I find this product to be a great value considering its functionality. It is programmable separately for heating and cooling systems, which is always a nice option (some brands/models are "one season at a time" so you have to constantly reprogram every season).
The 1F78 can be programmed for four programs for each weekday, as well as for programs for weekends. This is your basic 5/2 programming.
This model DOES NOT let you program for individual days, so if that is an option you want, skip the 1F78. For example, you can program for Mon-Fri, and Sat/Sun, but not Monday independently. I've had that feature on other thermostats and it is nice if you like to maybe let the heat stay on later on a Saturday night compared to Sunday, for example. However, for the price that was a small sacrafice to me, given the other features and ease of use.
I do like the EMR (Energy Management Recovery) feature on this thermostat. It "calculates", based on current temperature and desired temp/time when it should come on. For example, it you want it to be 70 degrees at 7 AM, you don't need to guess how early to start the thermostat in order to call for heat and reach 70 by 7 AM. You just set it for 7 AM, and what it does is come on about 5 minutes earlier for each heating degree it is below your set temperature. For cooling, EMR will turn on you A/C 15 minutes early for each degree above your set point.
You can disable the EMR feature if you prefer.
What's in the box:
The 1F78 thermostat
Instruction manual
Two mounting screws
Two screw anchors
Two AAA batteries (mine were Duracell, obviously this could change depending on manufacturer shipping).
Set up is simple. TURN OFF ELECTRICTY to your HVAC, which should cut power to your old thermostat (except for any batteries in it). Remove your old thermostat, taking note of the wiring colors in use. Tape/tie off your wiring cable so it does not fall into the wall!! Run the wires through the back of the 1F78 and connect to the appropriate terminals.
Display is basic LCD gray on gray, backlit in amber when you press a key. The display is easy to read.
Controls are simple to understand, and you are used to programmable thermostats, timers, etc. you may not even need the manual to program this product. The buttons are basic Time, Program, Run, Hold, and Fan (On/Auto) and System (Cool/Off/Heat).
I have one complaint about this product, and its not a huge deal and you should only need to deal with it once the wiring terminals. The terminals themselves are screw-down, which is nice since you don't have to wrap the wire on a terminal. But there is very little room in between the terminals, so it can be a pain to work the wires into each terminal to tighten them down.
Overall, this is a reliable thermostat. I've had no issues with my first, which is about four years old, and the newly installed one took about 20 minutes to install. I would purchase this product again.
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I just hate when a thermostat is so Hi-tech that its all complicated... for me this works just fine, use the up or down button to set the temperature you desire and then press the "hold" button and you're done.
Also If you want you can program and set your thermostat to change the temperature during a certain time and day of the week.
Best Deals on White-Rodgers 1F78-151 Digital 5/2 Day Programmable Thermostat
I replaced two earlier versions of this thermostat in my house. The new one is smaller, so I had to do a little painting, but no big deal. Also, it was a little difficult to feed the wires in and get them cinched down due to the tight space. But otherwise I love it. It is EXTREMELY easy to use (makes my wife happy!) and a good price. Recommended.
Gary
Honest reviews on White-Rodgers 1F78-151 Digital 5/2 Day Programmable Thermostat
These were installed by the HVAC installer we have 4 installed in the building for various heaters and furnaces. They are programmed to lower temps while no one is working, and raising it before work starts.
They all do their job, except for one that occasionally resets to default factory settings for no apparent reason even after changing the batteries several times.
The problem is when they go from cool down to heat, they do not register the actual temperature on a timely basis. (i.e. Going from 52 to 68deg. it keeps heating and actual temp measured is 76-78 deg and still the thermostat says is much lower and calling for heat) SEVERAL minutes later, it will read the actual temperature.
This seems to be an issue with White Rogers as one was installed in a rental a similar but non programmable model (this brand seem to be favored by installers maybe the cheapest?). The residents had complained of this issue when manually raising and lowering the settings, or when the door was opened and cold came in. I swapped it out with a Honeywell that registers actual temperature with quick response!
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Our old ones did not work any more. Because we do not know much about these kind of controller, so we got this one which is the same model as our old ones. It is ok, but the new interior design makes it hard to install than before. I do not understand why the screws are so tight that I cannot even loose it to put connecting wire in!
