Customer Rating: 
Summary: Honeywell 8500D Thermostat
Comment: 1) Installation instructions easy to follow. Should take less than half an hour. No risk of shock or fire.
2) Set-up instructions also easy to follow. Should take less than 15 minutes.
3) Unit allows for individual day of week heating and cooling settings.
4) Good warranty, which has been honored by the manufacturer in the past.
5) Much clearer readout than most LCD screens, but one still may need to adjust lighting in order to read it. I currently use three of this model thermostat in my house. However, I am not certain that it decreases my heating or AC bill.
Customer Rating: Summary: Very easy to install - very easy to program
Comment: The thermostat installed in less than five minutes. Just remember to use the little color code stickers (my yellow wire was actually blue). I had already programmed the thermostat while sitting down - it does not need to be on the wall to program, and the actual deed took about 1 minute. Snapped in place, turned the power back on, waited for the low voltage timer on my air unit to kick in and all done. Cool air flowing in less than 10 minutes.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Beware - No Warranty
Comment: Buyers be aware. I purchased a RTH 8500 last week throught Amazon and installed it myself. The installation was straightforward and the instructions clear. I liked the way it worked. Five days later the touch screen stopped working. When I called Customer Support they could not remedy the problem, it was apparently a defective product. However, I was told that because I had puchased the product on the web, the Honeywell written warranty enclosed with the thermostat would not apply in direct contradiction to what was stated. The 8500 is not available at retail stores in my area. But, I was told that if I purchased it from the web sites for Amazon, Home Depot, Ace Hardware, or others, Honeywell would not honor their own written warranty. This apparently applies to all Honeywell thermostats. Purchasers should be aware. I have written to Honeywell and I hope they will correct this.
Customer Rating: Summary: Difficult installation and no useage statistics
Comment: Installation was difficult because the holes that you are supposed to put wires into are small and do not face out toward you (their axes are parallel to the wall). Also, it does not track useage which my old thermostat did.
Positives: 1) Controls to a small temperature range which is much better than my previous (I was always cold or hot); 2) Intuitive interface.
Customer Rating: Summary: Easy to use, works well
Comment: I installed it myself without problem. Comes with a DVD and instructions for installing and website support. The programming is well designed: Set a temp for when we wake up, a different setting when we are away at work, a temp for when we return, and another for when we are sleeping, all programmed by day of the week, which can be easily overridden if you are staying home for a holiday or leaving the house on a vacation of days or weeks.
The heating/a/c unit does not labor or run as much since we installed this unit. I can't say for sure about the energy bills as last year our son was living with us before graduating college but logically it has to be more energy efficient.
It is a nicely made product, intelligently designed, and works well.
