How to Remove Hold on Home Thermostat

Honeywell RTH9580WF wireless thermostat, displaying its -Hold Switch- screen.

Covers how to remove hold on Home thermostat models. But why would hold ever be ON in the first place? Well, the hold feature on many programmable thermostats lets you override scheduled temperature settings, and set the temperature manually. When a thermostat is following its schedule, it is not on hold. Thus, it changes its set temperature to what its program says at times of day, also dictated by the program.

But with the Hold function on, you suspend these scheduled temperature adjustments. Then, the thermostat stays at the displayed temperature setting. It does this either indefinitely (for permanent hold) or until the next programmed temperature change (temporary hold).

So why would you ever want to put a programmable thermostat on hold? Well, perhaps your house is too chilly on certain very cold winter night. So you’d like to stop your pre-scheduled temperature lowering just for that night. Or, maybe you don’t like the temperatures set by the current program, but don’t know how to change them. Thus you must wait for your tech savvy daughter’s next visit to get that done. In cases like these, using Hold is a handy solution.

Now as mentioned, there are two types of hold; temporary hold, and permanent hold. In Temporary Hold, the temperature setting override stays in effect only until the next scheduled automatic temperature adjustment. Permanent Hold works like Temporary Hold, except that it has no scheduled end time. So, Permanent Hold suspends programmed temperature changes indefinitely, until you manually turn it off.

How to Remove Hold on Home Thermostat: Step by Step

We show here removing the Hold function on our RTH9580WF Home thermostat. In this demo, we start off with our thermostat set to Permanent Hold. But this same procedure works when Temporary Hold is in effect. It’s just the name of the Hold button that changes.

1. Go to the Thermostat’s Home Screen

Here’s a shot of our t-stat’s Home page we show next.

The Hold button may say either Permanent Hold, or Temporary Hold. Temporary hold is in effect when the unit says when the current Hold will stop. We include both situations in the following two pictures.

A typical Home Thermostat displaying its -Home- page, with the -Permanent Hold, Press for More Options- button circled.

The thermostat, displaying its -Home- screen, with the -Hold- button showing -Temporary Hold- mode highlighted.

2. Tap the Hold Button

Find the Hold button near screen center and bottom. Now as stated above, it may show as either Temporary Hold or Permanent Hold. Which one it displays depends on what mode your thermostat is currently in. But if you see no Following Schedule message, then your thermostat is not in Hold. So you need not remove Hold.

Tapping the Hold button, no matter its flavor, brings up the Hold Options screen, as shown following.

The RTH9580WF Home thermostat, displaying its -Hold Options- page. Showing the -Cancel Hold- button.

Pressing Remove Hold stops both Permanent Hold and Temporary Hold.

3. Tap the Remove Hold Button

When you touch the Remove Hold option, the thermostat then returns to Following Schedule mode. Furthermore, it again displays its Home screen. See this next.

The unit, displaying its -Home- page with the -Following Schedule- link circled.

But now, notice that the Hold button no longer appears. Instead, we find a link label that just says, Following Schedule.