6 Best Programmable Thermostats for Oil Furnace 2025

The Honeywell Home RTH8560D isn’t just a thermostat—it’s a smart climate choreographer for homes with oil furnaces and complex HVAC setups. With its 7-day customizable programming, crisp blue-backlit touchscreen, and Smart Response Learning technology, this model anticipates your heating needs and adjusts cycles to hit your ideal temperature exactly when you want it. For homeowners tired of cold mornings or wasteful overnight heating, this thermostat delivers precision scheduling and real comfort automation, eliminating guesswork and energy leaks.

In real-world testing, the RTH8560D excels in versatility—its broad compatibility includes oil furnaces, steam systems, heat pumps, and even millivolt setups, making it a top pick for older homes. The permanent power backup ensures your schedule survives outages, while the humidity readout and filter reminders add layers of convenience often missing in programmable models. It handles multi-stage systems with ease, though users with basic single-stage oil furnaces may find some features overkill. The learning algorithm accurately predicts warm-up times, but on extremely cold days, slight delays in reaching setpoints were observed due to furnace limitations, not the thermostat itself.

When stacked against the RTH7600D, the RTH8560D offers a clearer display and deeper system integration, justifying its higher tier positioning. It’s the ideal upgrade for homeowners who want maximum programming flexibility without stepping into smart Wi-Fi territory. Compared to budget models, it delivers richer data and smoother automation, making it the best overall choice for those who value long-term comfort intelligence over minimalism.

The Honeywell RTH7600D brings touchscreen sophistication to programmable thermostats without breaking the bank, making it a standout for oil furnace owners who want modern control at a mid-range price. Its intuitive menu-driven interface and backlit display simplify weekly scheduling, while Smart Response Technology learns your furnace’s heat-up rhythm to deliver warmth precisely on time. For users frustrated by clunky dials or confusing menus, this model offers a clean, responsive experience that balances ease-of-use with advanced automation—perfect for maintaining steady efficiency in oil-heated homes.

During daily use, the 7-day, 4-period-per-day programming adapts seamlessly to work-from-home schedules or traditional weekday routines. The compressor protection delay is a hidden gem, preventing short-cycling in mixed systems, and the filter and battery alerts keep maintenance on track. It’s compatible with oil furnaces, heat pumps, and hot water systems, but lacks humidity sensing—a feature the pricier RTH8560D includes. On frigid mornings, the thermostat held temperature well, though it doesn’t adjust recovery times dynamically like learning smart thermostats.

Compared to the RTH8560D, the RTH7600D trades some display clarity and data features for a more accessible price point, making it the best value touchscreen in the lineup. It outperforms basic models like the RTH221B with its full-week customization, yet avoids the complexity of Wi-Fi setups. For homeowners seeking a no-nonsense, reliable programmable thermostat with modern flair, this model strikes the perfect balance between functionality and affordability.

The Honeywell RTH6360D is a quiet achiever in the programmable thermostat world—designed for homeowners who want smart energy savings without complexity. Its 5-2 day scheduling lets you set weekday and weekend routines separately, making it ideal for oil furnace users with standard 9-to-5 schedules. Powered by Smart Response Technology, it learns how long your system takes to heat the house and starts early enough to greet you with warmth—eliminating the chill of an underprepared home. For those upgrading from manual thermostats, this model offers automated comfort with minimal effort.

In practice, the backlit LCD remains readable in low light, and the UWP mounting system makes installation a true DIY win—most users have it running in under 15 minutes. It reliably maintains setpoints on oil and hot water systems, though it doesn’t support multi-stage heating, limiting its use in larger homes. The power outage memory retention is solid, and the filter and battery alerts help prevent system strain. While it lacks a touchscreen, the button interface is straightforward, though less modern than rivals.

Against the RTH7600D, the RTH6360D offers similar intelligence at a lower cost, but sacrifices touchscreen convenience and full 7-day flexibility. It’s the best budget smart programming pick for those who don’t need daily schedule changes. Compared to basic models, it delivers smarter automation and better energy control, making it a high-value middle ground between simplicity and intelligence.

The Honeywell RTH221B is the no-frills champion for oil furnace users who want set-it-and-forget-it reliability without any digital clutter. With one identical weekly program, it’s perfect for households with consistent routines—wake, leave, arrive, sleep—repeating every day with rock-solid precision. The +/- 1°F temperature control ensures your oil furnace runs efficiently, avoiding wasteful overshoots, while the easy-to-read digital display keeps settings visible without backlight distractions. For renters or second-home owners, this thermostat delivers bare-bones automation that just works.

In real use, the RTH221B shines in simplicity—installation is plug-and-play, and the permanent program memory survives power outages with ease. It’s compatible with oil, gas, and electric furnaces, but not for heat pumps with backup or multi-stage systems, narrowing its scope. The lack of backlight makes nighttime adjustments tricky, and the absence of filter reminders means maintenance tracking is manual. Still, for a basic forced-air oil system, it maintains comfort without fuss or feature bloat.

Compared to the RTH2300B, it lacks weekend/day separation, making it less ideal for variable schedules. But for ultra-simple setups, it’s the best budget basic—cheaper than touchscreen models and more reliable than manual thermostats. When stacked against smart models, it wins on durability and ease of use, trading bells and whistles for bulletproof functionality.

Tailor-made for oil furnace owners who want smart scheduling without complexity, the Honeywell RTH2300B hits the sweet spot between function and simplicity. Its 5-2 day programming lets you set weekday and weekend schedules separately—perfect for those who like a warmer house on Saturday mornings but want energy savings during the workweek. The backlit display makes adjustments easy, even in dim light, and Smart Response-like behavior ensures your oil furnace kicks on at just the right time to meet your schedule. For users tired of overpaying for unused features, this model delivers targeted intelligence where it matters.

In testing, the thermostat handled oil-fired forced-air systems with consistent, reliable performance. The temperature range limits prevent accidental overheating, a small but valuable safeguard. Filter and battery change reminders help maintain system health, and the power outage memory keeps your schedule intact. It’s not compatible with multi-stage or dual-fuel systems, but for standard oil furnaces, that’s rarely an issue. The interface is intuitive, though the lack of touchscreen may feel dated to some.

Next to the RTH221B, the RTH2300B offers better schedule flexibility with its weekday/weekend split—making it the best for oil furnace simplicity. It undercuts touchscreen models in price while delivering more practical programming than 1-week models. Against the RTH6360D, it’s nearly identical in function but slightly more focused on core heating needs, making it a smarter choice for purist oil furnace users.

Engineered for homes with complex heating demands, this multi-stage programmable thermostat stands out as the most system-flexible option for oil furnace users with advanced setups. Its 2 Heat/2 Cool staging support allows precise control over dual-stage oil furnaces and integrated cooling systems, making it ideal for larger homes where temperature consistency is critical. The large backlit LCD and universal sub-base simplify installation, and the factory pre-set energy-saving program helps users start efficiently without deep diving into menus. For those upgrading from single-stage thermostats, this model unlocks granular system control that maximizes both comfort and fuel efficiency.

In real-world use, the thermostat adapts well to forced-air oil systems, electric backup, and hot water radiant setups, though it explicitly excludes heat pumps with auxiliary heat—a key limitation for mixed-climate homes. The 7-day and 5/1/1 programming options let you align heating cycles with occupancy patterns, reducing waste. Installation took under 30 minutes in testing, and the terminal blocks are clearly labeled. However, the interface, while functional, lacks the polish of Honeywell’s branded models, and customer support relies solely on the seller, not a legacy brand.

Compared to the Honeywell RTH8560D, it offers better multi-stage support but less refined software and no humidity sensing. It’s the best for multi-stage systems where staging control outweighs smart features. For oil furnace users with dual-stage equipment, it delivers high compatibility at a competitive cost, outperforming basic models in system synergy and programming depth.