Best Thermostats for the Elderly and Visually Impaired in 2022

Finding the best thermostat for visually impaired, elderly, or fully blind persons isn’t easy.

In this era, many manufacturers have focused on developing smart thermostats with many features that only favor those who are physically fit.

Among those who have been left out are those with eyesight problems.

However, this doesn’t mean that you cannot get a good thermostat for a blind or visually impaired person.

In fact, it is the reason I created this guide in the first place – to help you not just find a good thermostat, but the best for your condition or that of your loved one.

After spending over 50 hours on research and testing, I have shortlisted 6 thermostats that you can buy for the blind or seniors with low vision.

The thermostats work alongside tips for staying warm at home.

6 Best Thermostats for Low Vision and Elderly

I understand that some of these thermostats may be way beyond your budget. And that is why I have included more than one thermostat for you to choose from.

I have given detailed reviews citing the pros and cons of each to make it easy for you to choose.

With that in mind, here are the best thermostats for the blind and visually impaired:

Thermostat	Power Connection	Voice	Price
ELECTECK Digital Thermostat	Batteries	Yes	Check Price
Honeywell T87N1026	C-wire	No	Check Price
Emerson Sensi ST75	C-wire	No	Check Price
Lux Products TX9600TS	Batteries/C-Wire	No	Check Price
Orbit 83521	Batteries	No	Check Price
PRO1 IAQ T905	Batteries/C-Wire	No	Check Price

1. ELECTECK Digital Thermostat – Best Overall

The ELECTECK Digital Thermostat is our top-rated thermostat for the blind due to its convenient talking prompt that informs a user of the buttons pressed and thermostat readings.

It comes with dedicated buttons for ‘Fan On’ and ‘Fan Off’ as well as ‘Heat On’ and ‘Heat Off’.

The buttons on the ELECTECK Digital Thermostat are well-spaced allowing the blind and visually impaired to easily master their location.

This universal multistage talking thermostat works with most 24V AC units including the modern multi-stage units which support 3 heating and 2 cooling stages. It works with gas, oil, and electric furnaces.

It can also support air conditioners and heat pumps with 1 or 2-stage compressors and auxiliary heat.

To enhance interaction, this talking thermostat comes with a bundled CD that all the audio cues recorded in Wave and MP3 format. Listening to them on a CD player or a computer should be enough to familiarize yourself with the different instructions.

2. Honeywell T87N1026 Heat/Cool Thermostat -Best under $100

The Honeywell T87N1026 is a great thermostat for the totally and partially blind due to its ease of reading and calibration.

Changing the temperature is as simple as turning the knob in your preferred direction. The thermostat will make a sound whenever the temperature changes by 2 Fahrenheit.

This simple knob-like T87N1026 thermostat works with a 24-30 volt 4-wire system and handles a subtle temperature range between 40F and 90F which makes it perfect for regular use.

The Honeywell T87N1026 doesn’t boast of many bells and whistles but its ability to click at every 2 unit changes enables a user to note how many values up or down they are adjusting.

This combined with the enlarged and raised numbers makes it perfect for the visually impaired. These raised scales appear as braille making it simpler for the fully blind to use it.

3. Emerson Sensi ST75 -Best with Wi-Fi

The Emerson Sensi ST75 is the most beautiful and feature-packed thermostat in this list. Its main unit displays the current temperature readings in large fonts making it perfect for the visually impaired.

If you are to get this thermostat for a blind person, make sure to get Amazon Echo with it for voice controls through Alexa. This allows the person to send verbal commands to the thermostat for it to heat or cool the room.

The Sensi ST75 from Emerson has been designed to work with a variety of heating and cooling systems including gas, oil, heat pump, radiant heat, and geothermal or steam heat systems. This is anything up to 4 stages of heating and 2 stages of cooling.

Installation and setup are easy and the readings can be accessed via the free Sensi App. It is definitely a good thermostat for the blind and elderly as long as you ensure that Alexa (through Amazon Echo) or Siri, depending on your preferences.

4. Lux Products TX9600TS Thermostat

This large display print thermostat is ideal for visually impaired individuals who are looking for a highly functional thermostat that is easy to operate.

The Lux Products TX9600TS is compatible with all kinds of heating and cooling systems except baseboard heat. It can be programmed differently every day of the week, and each day can have 2 or 4 user-selected periods.

One integral feature that comes with the Lux TX9600TS is the programmable air filter life timer which notifies you when the filters need replacement. Its smart recovery feature enables it to reach the set temperatures by the programmed time while the adjustable vacation hold functionality can be set from 1 to 30 days.

Lux is renowned for durable and effective products and they don’t disappoint on the Lux TX9600TS. Although it is not commendable for the blind, it can be used easily by the visually impaired who want a thermostat with a large display and that is easy to control.

5. Orbit 83521 Thermostat

The Orbit 83521 can be used by the visually impaired given its sizeable protruding buttons and the huge clear display.

This thermostat is simple with a large LCD screen that is easy-to-read. It allows scheduling over 7 days of the week, giving you total control over your energy expenditures.

Orbit opted to include a Clear Comfort feature that incorporates smart system logic and prevents temperatures from over fluctuating. It doesn’t have mercury inside which makes it safer.

The Orbit 83521 can work with central air conditioners, oil, gas, and electric furnaces, millivolt systems, 2-wire hot water systems, and central heating and cooling systems. This thermostat is easy to configure and the built-in precision control feature keeps the temperature within +/- 1 degrees Fahrenheit of the set temperature.

This makes it perfect for seniors or visually impaired since they won’t need to make adjustments every now and then.

6. PRO1 IAQ T905 – Largest screen

If you are looking for a programmable fan with huge fonts that is easy to configure whether on an electric or gas system, then the PRO1 IAQ T955 will suit you best.

This thermostat comes with a large touchscreen that accommodates all the settings you would need in one place.

Its 13sq inch display makes it perfect for easy viewing by the visually impaired although it is not suitable for the blind.

The thermostat comes with wake, leave, return, and sleep programming features that make it easy to shift to any preset state without any modifications.

Criteria for choosing a thermostat for the blind and visually impaired

Getting the perfect thermostat for someone partially blind or fully blind means that you have to focus on sensory input that will work well with the user. The top things to consider include:

Any combination of these features will help your loved one enjoy the thermostat despite his or her visual disability.

Best Place to Install a Thermostat for Elderly and Visually Impaired

When installing your thermostat, consider the following places;

• An uncongested place so that anyone doesn’t stumble on the way there.
• A well-lit place, especially if the thermostat has no backlight.
• Away from any obstructions like doors, bookshelves, or decorations for quick sensing
• Avoid thermostat placement in areas with extreme temperatures; for example, don’t install it near doors that should let in a draft, windows that shine hot rays, or near the bathroom. All these will affect the thermostat reading and make sure the room looks warmer or cooler.
• You also avoid placing it in rooms or hallways that are not in use. The thermoregulator won’t be reading the area you want to heat or cool, leaving you in a cooler or warmer room.
• Install it away from the kitchen; the kitchen gets warm due to many appliances concentrated there like an oven, stover, and more. The thermostat in the kitchen will read that the home is warmer, causing the air conditioner to turn on when not needed. The fluctuations can confuse the thermostat and prevent it from getting an accurate reading. The kitchen placement can make your whole home cool down when cooking, making everyone uncomfortable.

Get a Thermostat with a Big Screen and Buttons

Large buttons make it easy for a visually impaired person to use them and make any changes to the thermostat. One can quickly find the right settings with ease. It’s more helpful if a button has button sounds.

You can right away choose the setting you want or make adjustments without any struggle at all. Again, tactile labeling can make it easier for the visually impaired to use a thermostat. For example, a bump-on to mark your preferred temperature on a control dial may serve as an accessible adaptation.

Go for a Talking Thermostat

A thermostat with a built-in speaker helps end-users with visual impairment. At the touch of a button, the thermostat can give the room temperature and describe the mode buttons you have pressed. For instance, the thermostat will announce, now, you have asked for the “heating mode.”

This kind of thermostat also fits the elderly who have vision problems such as cataracts. They can’t read thermostat guidelines but can touch and listen to the voice settings. This thermostat is compatible with voice technology used in Amazon and Google devices.  The technology allows a person with visual impairment to make adjustments by speaking a command without any struggle.

Examples of these thermostats include;

1. Kelvin Talking Thermostat

Kelvin thermostat helps the blind or people with low vision, mobility disabilities, or severe physical disabilities. The thermostat can control heat, fan, and air conditioner functions. You can operate it by pushing its large tactile buttons, all of which talk or through voice commands. To initiate voice commands, users press a button, claps hands, knocks on a table or desk, or whistles.

2. Nest Thermostat

You can control the Nest Thermostat via digital personal assistants such as Google Assistants or Amazon Alexa. The system learns your behavior and acts accordingly, reducing the need for you to interact with your heating controls at all.

3. Honeywell Lyric

The Honeywell Lyric monitors your location and aims to save energy while you are not at home. It can connect with Amazon, Google, Apple Home kit Systems. The thermostat has indoor and outdoor temperatures in the house. They alert the user when the temperatures are getting higher or lower.

Like other smart thermostats, this product learns your house’s thermal properties, so it knows how long it takes to warm up. There’s also a vacation setting, meaning you can easily disable the heating until a specified date. When you install it, the Lyric T6 connects to your home network via built-in Wi-Fi and is configured entirely from the smartphone app.

To start with, you need to set up the three heating modes – Home, Away, and Sleep – and set up multi-user geofencing, so the thermostat can spontaneously detect when you are around and turn off the heating. You can choose to custom heating schedule, but this disables geolocation.

4. Honeywell Home’s Evohome Thermostat

You can control it using WIFI and works through Amazon Echo. The eve home is a smart wireless thermostat that allows you to zone your house. It heats your room when needed, and turns down heating in rooms heating in places you are not using, enhancing energy saving.

Using Amazon Echo, you can control zoning verbally. Therefore, the product offers an advantage for the visually impaired to manipulate thermostat at ease and greater control. The smart thermostat should have a user-friendly interface for users. While buying, check the following features;

• The built-in voice instruction system that guides the user on setting the different times of the day temperature
• Excellent set of loudspeakers for announcing different temperatures at the time set.

A Learning Thermostat

The thermostat has to learn the functions programmed. In combination with having sensors, it can understand when people are active and when heating or cooling needs to be on and changing their schedule accordingly.  The product, especially the Nest thermostat, learns temperatures and the programs you like in a week. It can turn itself down when nobody is at home and helps save energy.

The thermostats mentioned above cover the core essence of a smart thermostat for the visually impaired and the seniors. They are a perfect solution if you want to get that edge over the tiny and often complex mainstream smart thermostats. The options given above are the best thermostats for the visually impaired. Consider the design, price, and benefits before selecting one that will work out best for you.