I will continue the programmable thermostat reviews with a cheaper, but still powerful model today, “Honeywell RTH6450D1009 5-1-1-Day Programmable Thermostat
- user friendly display (easy to to program)
- different settings for weekdays – saturday and sunday
- 4 program periods per day
- ENERGY STAR rated
- back-lit display (so, you can use it even at night – when no lights are on)
- shows room and set temperature on the screen
- Smart Response Technology (detailed explanation below)
- Easy access battery compartment (you don’t need to remove the cover or remove the thermostat from the wall to change the batteries)
If you don’t want to spend a lot of money on a thermostat and only want to have a programmable one, Honeywell RTH6450D1009 is for you. Or maybe you want to have a fancier model for your living room (either Nest Learning Thermostat, or Venstar T5800), and have this one for the basement (if you have multi-zone heating / cooling). It is easy to install, easy to program, and does the work properly. Here is more detailed review.
Honeywell RTH6450D1009 Installation and Setup
You can install this unit in 15 minutes with a Phillips screwdriver and a mini-Flathead screwdriver; it takes 30 minutes at most if you give a break during the process 
It is so unbelievably simple – especially if you have 2 wired system. Once you opened the existing thermostat, label the wires based on where they are hooked to the current thermostat and reconnect them to the new unit. Very simple, very easy to accomplish. I believe; if you can physically turn a screwdriver, you can install this unit.
One very important note to remember : PLEASE DO NOT FORGET to power off your heating equipment before starting the installation.
The menus are intuitive enough and easy to navigate. The light on the unit is very handy as you may not want to turn on the lights every time you want to check or adjust the temperature.
Click here for more details, price, reviews and ratings of Honeywell RTH6450D1009 thermostat
Honeywell RTH6450D1009 Features
Honeywell RTH6450D1009 has a large display which can be back-lit simply by quickly pressing one of the control buttons. If you only need to program morning and night settings, you can simply skip over the times you don’t want to program. The display shows both the indoor temperature and the temperature the device is set to kick on at, time of day, and the current settings of the device.
When in operation the thermostat displays both set temperature and room temperature. The thermostat is accurate within +/- 1 degree.
You can install the batteries before attaching the Honeywell RTH6450D1009 to the wall base and you can do all setting and programming ahead of time if you want. Or; you can install the batteries after finishing the thermostat installation. The batteries are very easy to replace when needed as they fit in a flip out holder from the side, no need to remove any covers or remove the thermostat from it’s base.
The thermostat has Auto Change Feature (the main difference between Honeywell RTH6450 and the RTH6350). The thermostat changes the mode automatically based on the environment temperature. If you are living in an area that you need to use the heating at night, and also you need to use the cooling in the afternoon this thermostat is for you.
The Honeywell RTH6450D1009 also has the Smart Response Technology : The device uses an algorithm to attempt to get the house to the Programmed Temp ON the Programmed Time. Meaning; your Furnace will turn on some time before the time you set to raise the temperature until it hits the programmed temperature exactly on time. If you don’t like this feature, there is an option to turn it off (for me this is a very good feature. however it is good to have the option to turn this off… full flexibility).
This thermostat is compatible with most electric, gas, oil, and single stage furnaces; heat pumps without backup heat; heat only, and cool only furnaces; however Honeywell RTH6450D1009 will not work on electric baseboard heat.
Cons
The device is simple – no complicated settings, no internet connectivity (as a result you don’t have to worry about a firmware update causing the thermostat to crash), no ‘learning’ features, no touch screen (hard to believe that still there are some devices which doesn’t have touch screen :-)) ) etc. When you don’t have much functionality, sure you don’t have much ‘cons’ as well…
I have seen couple bad reviews on the net, and they were all related with defective devices. Usually Amazon and Honeywell handles these issues pretty well – so nothing to worry about.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a simple programmable thermostat, most probably Honeywell RTH6450D1009
My opinion is, if you have multi-zone heating and cooling, this is a great programmable thermostat with solid functionality, for basements and bedrooms. I would go with a fancier model for the living room