Why your temperature change does not stick
Because a normal temperature change is only a temporary hold. On most programmable and smart thermostats it lasts until the next scheduled period starts, then the schedule takes back over. To keep your setting longer, choose a permanent hold, a hold until a specific time, or change the schedule itself so the period starts with the temperature you want.
Why does the thermostat undo your change?
Because the change was never meant to be permanent. When a schedule is running and you press up or down, most thermostats treat it as a short override of the current period, not a new schedule.
Honeywell's T6 Pro manual spells it out: once you reach the setpoint you want, "no further action is needed. The new setpoint temperature will be held until the next scheduled time period begins." The FocusPRO 6000 guide gives an example most people will recognize. If you turn up the heat early in the morning, "it will automatically be lowered later, when you leave for the day."
So if you raised the heat at 7:00 am and the house cooled down after 8:00 am, the 8:00 am period simply started. Nothing is broken. How periods hand off to each other is explained in schedule periods.
How long does a temporary change last on each brand?
| Brand and model | What the screen shows | When it reverts |
|---|---|---|
| Honeywell Home T6 Pro | "TEMPORARY HOLD" | When the next scheduled period begins |
| Honeywell Home FocusPRO 6000 | "Temporary" | When the next programmed period begins |
| Honeywell Home VisionPRO TH8000 | "Hold Temperature Until" and a time | At the time you set; the program then resumes |
| Honeywell Home T9 | "Hold until" and a time | Next period, a specific time, or never, as you choose |
| ecobee | A Hold bubble | Set by the Hold action preference |
| Emerson Sensi | "Temporarily Set To" | Next scheduled setpoint, but not before two hours |
| Amazon Smart Thermostat | Not stated | The next change point in the schedule |
The two hour floor on Sensi explains a different surprise: a change made ten minutes before a schedule point is not dropped ten minutes later. It still holds for at least two hours.
How do you make the change last longer?
Pick the option that matches how long you actually want it.
- Until a specific time. On a VisionPRO TH8000, after you change the temperature, set the timer that appears with "Hold Temperature Until". On a T9, touch "Hold until" and choose "A Specific Time". The schedule resumes at that time.
- Until you cancel it. On a T6 Pro, press Hold (Mode) while the setpoint is still flashing after your change. On a T9, choose "Permanently". On the FocusPRO 6000 and VisionPRO, press HOLD. The full set of Honeywell labels is in Honeywell hold vs permanent hold.
- On ecobee, by default. ecobee does not let you remove the schedule, but the Hold action preference at Main Menu > General > Preferences > Hold action decides how long every manual change lasts. Its options are 2 hours, 4 hours, "Until the Next Scheduled Activity", "Until You Change It", or "Decide at the Time of Change".
- For several days away. A vacation hold keeps one temperature for a set number of days and then restarts the schedule.
A permanent hold has a cost: it does not end on its own. If you forget it, the schedule stays off, which is the opposite complaint covered in thermostat not following its schedule.
Should you change the schedule instead?
If you make the same change most days, yes. Overriding the 8:00 am setback every morning is a sign the Away period starts too early or is set too low. Edit that period's start time or setpoint once and the overrides stop.
The same thinking applies if your thermostat starts heating or cooling before a period begins. That early start is recovery mode getting the room ready, not the schedule ignoring you.
Is a learning thermostat changing it back?
Google says the Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest Thermostat E learn from the changes you make and, after a few days, program a schedule for you. That can feel like the thermostat overruling you, since a setting you made once may show up later in a schedule you never typed. See Nest Auto-Schedule for how it learns and how to turn it off, and learning vs programmable schedules for the tradeoff.
What should you check now?
Does it revert at about the time a new schedule period starts?
- Yes
Do you want the new temperature for days, not hours?
- No
Is it a Nest Learning Thermostat or Nest Thermostat E?
For model-specific pages, see the Honeywell Home, ecobee, Emerson Sensi, Google Nest and Amazon hubs.
Frequently asked questions
- Why does my thermostat change the temperature after I set it?
- Your change was a temporary hold, and the next scheduled period has started. The thermostat is doing what it was told: hold your value for now, then go back to the program. Use a permanent hold or edit the schedule if you want the new value to last.
- How long does a temporary hold last on a Sensi?
- Sensi says the thermostat shows "Temporarily Set To" and keeps your temperature until the next scheduled setpoint, with a minimum hold time of two hours. So a change made shortly before a schedule point still lasts at least two hours.
- Can I make ecobee changes last until I cancel them?
- Yes. Set the Hold action preference to "Until You Change It" at Main Menu > General > Preferences > Hold action. Every manual change then stays until you cancel the hold. The other choices are 2 hours, 4 hours, until the next scheduled activity, or deciding each time.
- Will turning my thermostat off and on keep my temperature?
- No. Changing the mode does not turn a temporary hold into a permanent one. On an ecobee, a hold actually stays active with the system set to Off. Use the hold options on the screen or in the app instead.