Hunter 44550 Auto Save 7 Day Programmable Thermostat

Hunter is a popular brand that makes programmable thermostats. The Hunter 44550 is a recommended programmable thermostat because it is reliable and has all the functions necessary to make the home comfortable and energy efficient. And the best news is that the Hunter 44550 Auto Save 7-Day Programmable Thermostat is a best buy for under $40.

There are many great reviews about the Hunter 44550 because it is just as powerful as most Honeywell programmable thermostats but for a fraction of the price. The first thing to note is that the Hunter is a 7 day programmable thermostat that gives you 4 periods per day (as do all good programmable thermostats). This allows the home owner to save up to 30% on the annual heating and cooling bill.

Secondly, the Hunter is an Energy Star approved thermostat that has a range of useful functions. These are season auto-changeover, temporary hold, vacation mode, filter change warning, swing control, auto recovery and keyboard lockout. You just simply wouldn’t expect so many features on a programmable thermostat for under $40.

The cheapest Lux Products 7 day programmable thermostat is the Lux Products TX9100E ($55) and the cheapest 7 day Honeywell programmable thermostat is the RTH7500D (about $65). A cheap Hunter 44550 can be bought for under $40 on Amazon.

The Hunter 44550 Auto Save 7-Day Programmable Thermostat has a few drawbacks. The first is that it is only compatible with single stage heating and cooling and with heat pumps without auxiliary heat. It can, however, regulate most other 24 Volt HVAC systems including gas, electric, air-con and 2 wire hydronics systems. The other potential downside of the Hunter 44550 is that it runs off batteries not the HVAC power. This negative point for the programmable thermostat is mitigated by reviewers and satisfied customers who testify that the batteries last for years without needing changing. And when they do need changing there is a 2 stage low battery warning to make sure you are not caught short.

Other useful features on the Hunter 44550 include a swing control of up to 2 degrees which allows the user to set a range within which the heating/cooling doesn’t come on. This helps to protect the furnace, air-con etc. from constantly short cycling with every small fluctuation in room temperature. Swing control is absent on Honeywell programmable thermostats. Also found on this programmable thermostat (but absent on Honeywell’s thermostats) is keyboard lockout. This allows the user to set up a pass code on the thermostat to stop unauthorized people altering the program on the device.

Another feature found on the Hunter 44550 which is unexpected for a programmable thermostat in its price range is auto season changeover. This function keeps track of the changing weather and automatically switches between heating and cooling to fit the season. This is a feature that adds convenience to the experience of using the Hunter 44550 as does its capacity for armchair programming. There is also an auto-recovery feature that can be switched on or off. This feature pre-heats or pre-cools the room so the desired room temperature is reached at the start of a programmed period.

Installation and programming is straight forward for the Hunter 44550. There is a mercury free LCD display featuring INDIGLO technology. The display features a one touch backlight that makes it easy to check the thermostat at nighttime.

• 7 Day programming and 4 program slots per day
• Swing Control
• Auto recovery
• Auto season changeover
• One touch indiglo backlight display
  
• Easy installation and programming
• Temporary override
• Vacation mode
  
• Filter change warning
• 2 stage battery warning
• keyboard lockout
• Armchair programming
• 12 or 24 clock display / Celsius or Fahrenheit read out
  
• 1 year limited warranty
  

There are 79 reviews of the Hunter 44550 7 day programmable thermostat on Amazon. Of those 79 reviewers 54 people give the thermostat the full 5 star approval, 20 give a 4 star approval and only 3 people give the Hunter 44550 a single star. The things that were most commented on were the convenience of the one touch backlight, the front loading batteries (so you don’t have to unscrew the device to change the batteries at the back), and the armchair programming. Many people also raved about the convenience of the temporary override or ‘home today’ button which overrides the programmed settings and chooses the warmest setting (in winter) and the coolest setting (in summer).

Negative comments were about the wordiness of the instruction manual and the Indiglo display which makes a slight hum. One reviewer noted that the wall plate for installation is not as sturdy as on a Honeywell programmable thermostat and another disliked the hold button being too close to the auto program button. The most negative reviews were about the incompatibility of the Hunter 44550 with heat pumps with emergency heat and the inaccuracy of the heat sensor. This last criticism is unfair because all thermostats tend to show slightly different temperatures and besides different areas in a room (such as walls and near windows) also have a slight temperature difference to the center of a room.

There are those people who are swayed by brand. Hunter is better known for making fans. As a result these people are suspicious of the Hunter 44550 and its cheap price. For those people who focus more on price and functionality, the Hunter 44550 stands out from the pack: you simply can’t find a 7 day programmable thermostat that is better value. If you have a compatible HVAC set up then it is worth looking at this programmable thermostat. It has all the essential features necessary to make the home comfortable and more energy efficient.