Does your thermostat have a hold button? If so, you might be wondering what it does. Thermostats manufactured today have more features than their counterparts manufactured in the past. In addition to temperature adjustment buttons, most thermostats now have a hold button. For a better understanding of the hold button, keep reading.

The Purpose of the Hold Button

The hold button is designed to override the heating and cooling schedules of a programmable thermostat. Programmable thermostats, of course, are those that allow you to specify different temperatures for different times. Most new thermostats are programmable, which is why the hold button is so common.

If you have a programmable thermostat, chances are it features a hold button. Pressing this button will change your heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) system’s settings. Rather than following the schedule for which you programmed the thermostat, you’re HVAC system will follow the thermostat’s current temperature.

How the Hold Button Works

The hold button works by locking in the current temperature. With a programmable thermostat, your HVAC system will cool or warm your home according to the schedule for which you programmed it. All programmable thermostats support scheduling. That’s the main way in which they differ from traditional and manually operated thermostats. You can press the hold button, however, to override this schedule.

Pressing the hold button will lock in the temperature on your thermostat. If you adjust your thermostat to 70 degrees and press the hold button, for instance, your HVAC system will maintain a temperature of 70 degrees inside of your home. Your thermostat, of course, may have a different heating or cooling schedule. Even so, your HVAC system will maintain a temperature of 70 degrees until you either press the run button – the run button will deactivate the hold setting – or adjust the temperature.

When to Set Your Thermostat to Hold

You should consider setting your thermostat to hold whenever you want to temporarily override its heating and cooling schedule. Programmable thermostats are convenient. Instead of manually adjusting the temperature each day, you can program a schedule.

The problem with programmable thermostats, though, is that HVAC systems will follow these schedules. A solution is to use the hold button. With the hold button, you can temporarily override your thermostat’s heating and cooling schedule. You can then resume the schedule by pressing the run button.