Honeywell Thermostat Screen Not Responding? (We Have a Fix!)

Honeywell is one of the top names for thermostats and smart home equipment. As one of the top smart thermostat companies in the world, you should expect your thermostat screen to be reliable. When your screen stops responding, it’s a major blow. What can you do when your smart thermostat’s screen is not responding?

An unresponsive Honeywell thermostat screen is most commonly caused by a loose wire on the back, a battery that’s on its last legs, or a tripped breaker. However, it can also be caused by a thermostat that’s on its last legs.

Seeing your thermostat suddenly fail to do anything can be a bit of a nightmare. This is especially true if you are one of those people who are all about temperature and humidity control.

Most people tend to forget that thermostats tend to have batteries that power them, too. It’s not just a wiring issue. A typical Honeywell thermostat will need new batteries once every year. Most of the time, your thermostat will give you a heads up when you are getting close to that time of year.

If you notice that your thermostat has a “Battery Low” light on, or issues out a short signal once in a while that says you have low battery juice, listen to it. You have 60 days to replace the battery before your thermostat is completely dead. If you ignored it past that…Well, ta da. Your thermostat is currently off and needs batteries to turn on.

Another common reason why your thermostat’s screen might not be reacting deals with your breaker. Take a look around your room. Are there other items that aren’t lit up? If so, then you may have tripped a breaker. This means that the electricity is cut off to your thermostat, which in turn, makes it unresponsive.

There’s a really easy way to fix this. Go to your breaker box and see if the breaker tripped. If it did, switch the breaker to the “ON” position and the issue should be fixed.

Note: If your breaker keeps tripping, this could be a sign of more serious problems in your electrical grid. We suggest calling a technician for a diagnostic if you feel this could be an issue. It could potentially save your life.

Thermostats are great, but they don’t last forever. Yes, even Honeywell thermostats can die after a certain point of their use. A thermostat that’s on its last legs will often start glitching out. It may show temperatures that aren’t the same as your room, or it may start causing your HVAC system to rapid cycle. In rare cases, the screen stops responding.

If you have an older thermostat, you should consider replacing the unit. This is especially true if you’re looking at more than 10 years with that unit, since most units start to expire by that point.

Believe it or not, there is a chance that the thermostat itself is not the issue. However, you better hope that this is not the reason for your unresponsive thermostat screen. If your house is old, there is a fair chance that you may have a problem with corroded or frayed interior electrical wiring—also known as the wiring in your walls.

When this happens, water got in your wiring or rats chewed through it. Your wire no longer effectively can carry electricity to the thermostat and now you have a nonfunctional unit. When this happens, it’s not just bad for your HVAC system. It’s also a potential fire hazard, since frayed wiring can catch fire.

This is something that will be pretty pricey, but you need to fix your wiring. Otherwise, it could be more than just a bad Honeywell thermostat that you need to worry about.

I wish I could give you a better answer, but it all depends on what caused your thermostat to fail in the first place. A faulty wire that just squiggled loose from your thermostat might not cost anything to fix. The same can be said about a breaker that’s been switched.

If you suspect that your battery went dead, that’s not a big deal. You might even have a spare battery lying around somewhere. Replacing your thermostat’s batteries will cost $12, max, if you get a large battery pack.

Replacing a Honeywell thermostat can range from $20 to $160, depending on the model you have. That’s suggesting a DIY approach, of course. If you hire an HVAC tech to install it, there may be an additional fee.

If you have a bad wiring setup inside your wall, then your wallet may hurt a lot more than you expect. Depending on the reason for the wiring, you could spend anywhere from $500 to upwards of $20,000 to ensure that your home has a safe grid.

Related Questions

How long should a Honeywell thermostat last?

A Honeywell thermostat should not be something you need to update every year or so. Rather, they’re made to last. You should expect them to be a part of your home’s HVAC system for at least 10 years. In fact, it’s not uncommon for them to last as long as 15 years, though you might want a new one before that.

How can I tell if my thermostat needs to have its batteries changed?

If you own a Honeywell thermostat, then you will be happy to know that your digital thermostat probably has a warning built in. Most thermostats will have a “LOW BATTERY” or “CHANGE BATTERY SOON” light or alert that flashes on the screen when it’s time to change the battery.Most models also have a gentle audio alert or alarm they make when batteries need to be switched out. Either way, you will definitely know. When you get an alarm, you have 60 days to change the batteries.

Why is my “Low Battery” alert still going after I changed the batteries in my thermostat?

This is a common issue many people have. When you get a new battery set for your thermostat, you have to reset your thermostat. Each thermostat has its own method for doing this, but usually, it means that you have to turn it on and off again. You can usually refer to your owner’s manual or your thermostat maker’s tech support line to find out how to do this for yourself.