What Does The 'Hold' Button Mean On Your Thermostat?

Thermostats help keep your home comfortable, no matter the time of year. From traditional thermostats that get the job done to smart thermostats that are worth the hype, you have more control over your comfort than ever before. Learning how to use your thermostat can be a bit of a learning curve, however. With all of the buttons and programmed schedules, it's not uncommon that you might feel overwhelmed. One of the common buttons or features you'll see is the 'hold' option. This modest but mighty button can actually transform how you manage your home.

Most modern thermostats are programmable — you can set them to change temperatures at specific times, like when you're asleep or gone for the day. The hold button pauses the thermostat's automated routine, allowing you to lock in a specific temperature. This makes it easy to maintain total comfort during times when your schedule changes. You can cancel the hold when you wish, and the thermostat will revert to its normal schedule.

Not every thermostat has a hold feature. Manual, non-programmable thermostats do not have a hold feature because they are already in a permanent hold. Since you have to manually move a slider or press a button every time you want the temperature to change, the thermostat simply stays at whatever temperature you last set it to. However, almost all programmable thermostats do have a hold feature — since these devices follow a strict internal clock, they need a way for you to tell them to stop following that schedule. This also applies to the best smart thermostats — nearly all of them have a hold feature, but it's best to check the manufacturer's guidelines for your particular device.

While there's an ideal thermostat setting for an environmentally-friendly home, being able to temporarily bypass it ensures you stay comfortable when your needs change. When you press "hold," you are telling the thermostat to ignore its pre-set schedule and maintain the current temperature until you tell it otherwise. While you can temporarily "hold" your settings by simply adjusting the temperature until the next scheduled set point, manually pressing the hold button keeps that temperature locked indefinitely.

If you press the hold button specifically, most thermostats will enter a permanent hold. The thermostat will stay at that exact temperature indefinitely. It will not return to its programmed schedule until you manually press "run," "cancel," or "remove hold", depending on your model. This is ideal if you are going on vacation, having a party where the house is getting crowded, or if your daily routine has changed and the current schedule no longer works for you. 

If you simply change the temperature without a hold, many smart or programmable thermostats will automatically revert to their programmed settings within a few hours, potentially leaving you uncomfortable again. It's critical to remember that when you press the hold button, your normally scheduled temperature will not kick back on — the thermostat will stay at the temperature you choose until you remove the hold.