Thermostat is not following its schedule

Is a hold overriding the schedule?

This is the most common reason. On most brands covered here, changing the temperature by hand puts a hold on the schedule. ecobee states it plainly: "Any manual temperature changes made to the thermostat will result in a hold being placed and will override the schedule." The question is how long the hold lasts, and that varies:

What a manual temperature change does to the schedule, by brand

Brand	What a manual change does	How long it lasts	How to go back to the schedule
ecobee	Sets a hold. Changes from Alexa, HomeKit and similar integrations set a Manual Hold	Set by the Hold action preference: 2 hours, 4 hours, until the next scheduled activity, until you change it, or decide each time	Tap the small x in the Hold bubble
Emerson Sensi	Shows "Temporarily Set To"	Until the next scheduled setpoint, with a minimum hold of two hours	Tap the X on "Hold" in the app, or turn Schedule off and back on
Amazon Smart Thermostat	Sets a temporary hold	Until the schedule reaches the next change point	Not stated
Google Nest Thermostat, Learning Thermostat (4th gen)	You can hold a preset temperature	Up to 24 hours for most presets; for Eco you can choose None	"End hold"
Honeywell Home	Temporary hold, or permanent hold on request	Temporary: usually the next period. Permanent: until cancelled	"Cancel", "RUN SCHEDULE", "Remove hold" or "CANCEL (or SCHED)", by model

Two settings make a hold last much longer than people expect. On ecobee, the Hold action preference lives at Main Menu > General > Preferences > Hold action, and "Until You Change It" means the schedule stays off until you cancel the hold. ecobee also notes that "A hold will remain active in System Mode Off", so turning the system off and on does not clear it. On Honeywell Home thermostats, a permanent hold has no end time at all. Our Honeywell hold vs permanent hold page shows how each model labels it.

The opposite complaint, a thermostat that drops your change too soon, is covered in thermostat keeps returning to its schedule.

Is the thermostat starting early on purpose?

If the system comes on before the time in your schedule, the thermostat may be planning ahead. Honeywell Home's T4 Pro and T6 Pro have installer option ISU 425, Adaptive Intelligent Recovery, which is set to Yes by default. Honeywell describes it this way: "Heating or cooling equipment will turn on earlier, ensuring the indoor temperature will match the setpoint at the scheduled time."

Other Honeywell models use other names. The RTH8500WF calls it Adaptive Recovery. The Wi-Fi 9000 color touchscreen thermostat calls it Smart Response Technology, and Honeywell says you turn it off on the thermostat under Menu, then Preferences. Early starts are normal; recovery mode explains how they work.

Are the time, date or zip code wrong?

A schedule is only as good as the clock behind it. Honeywell's page for the RTH8500WF lists "incorrect time setting on the thermostat, or if connected to WiFi and registered, incorrect zip code" as other causes.

• Honeywell Home T4 Pro and T6 Pro. If batteries are inserted within two minutes, the time and day do not need resetting. Wait longer and they may be lost. Check them at Menu > TIME and Menu > DATE.
• Honeywell Home T9. If the screen shows "SET DATE AND TIME", set them. The guide says "Date and time are required for features such as schedule."
• Emerson Sensi. If the thermostat is online but the time is wrong, Sensi says to check the time zone in the app: settings gear, then "Name, Location, & Time".

Is location or learning changing the temperature?

Smart thermostats can change the target based on where you are or what they have learned. These features act on top of the schedule.

• Honeywell Home T9. With location-based temperature control active, a manual change "will remain in effect until you cross the geofence." See geofencing.
• ecobee. Smart Away switches to Away after no occupancy for two consecutive hours during a scheduled Home period. Smart Home switches back to Home if Away has been active for at least one hour. Both are at Main Menu > General > eco+ > Smart Home & Away. More on ecobee Smart Away turning on by itself.
• Google Nest. Auto-Schedule exists only on the Nest Thermostat E and Nest Learning Thermostats, not the Nest Thermostat, and it is on by default. On the Thermostat E and Learning Thermostat (3rd gen), turn it off at Settings > Nest Sense > Auto-Schedule > Off. On the Learning Thermostat (4th gen), use the Google Home app: Settings > Temperature Preferences > Smart Schedule, then Automatic, Suggestions or Off. Google adds that presence-based automations or Home/Away Assist must also be off, or the thermostat can still switch to Eco. See Nest Auto-Schedule and Nest Eco turning on by itself.
• Emerson Sensi. Sensi lists the default schedule, Alexa or Google voice changes, Active Savings Events and geofencing among the reasons setpoints change without you touching them.

Manual Eco on a Nest is another override. Google says that when you switch to Eco by hand, the thermostat "will ignore all scheduled temperatures until you manually switch it back to heating or cooling." If you cannot tell what changed a Nest, Google points to the energy history at Quick View > History, and notes that unexpected temperature changes can mean a problem with the temperature schedule itself. Whether a learned or a fixed schedule suits you is covered in learning vs programmable schedules.

Is the schedule turned off?

Sometimes there is no schedule running at all.

• Honeywell Home T4 Pro and T6 Pro. The schedule can be turned off at Menu > PROG > OFF. Installer option ISU 120 set to 0 also makes the thermostat non-programmable.
• Amazon Smart Thermostat. The schedule runs only when the "Use thermostat schedule" switch is on, in the Alexa app under Device Settings > Control and schedules.
• ecobee. The schedule cannot be removed, so if it seems to be ignored, look for a hold instead.

If the schedule is on but its periods are not what you expect, see schedule periods.

What should you check now?

Does the screen or app show a hold, "Temporarily Set To", Eco or Away?

• Yes

  Something is overriding the schedule. Cancel the hold, or check geofencing and Smart Away settings, then watch the next period.

• No

  Are the time, date and time zone on the thermostat correct?

  • Yes

    Does the system start shortly before each scheduled change?

    • Yes

      That is early-start recovery working as designed.

    • No

      Check that the schedule is switched on and that its periods match what you want. On a Sensi Smart or Lite with a setpoint stuck at 85 or 55, replace the batteries.

  • No

    Set the time and date, or the time zone in the app. The schedule runs on the thermostat clock.