The Brand Story
Honeywell: A Coal Furnace, a Damper Flapper and 140 Years on the Wall
In 1885 a Swiss-born inventor named Albert Butz built a device he called the damper flapper. It was a thermostat for a coal furnace, working the furnace damper so the fire would rise and fall with the temperature of the house, and the company formed to sell it would grow into one of the most familiar names on American walls.
Chapter 1 · 1885 to 1953
From Butz to Honeywell to the Round
The Butz Thermo-Electric Regulator Company was founded in 1885 and went through several names before becoming the Minneapolis Heat Regulator Company. Meanwhile, in Wabash, Indiana, Mark Honeywell had started the Honeywell Heating Specialty Company in 1906. In 1927 the two merged into the Minneapolis-Honeywell Regulator Company, with Mark Honeywell as its first president. In 1953 the company introduced the T-86 Round, the circular dial thermostat that became its best-known product.
Chapter 2 · 2018 to today
Honeywell Home and Resideo
In October 2018 Honeywell spun off its home comfort and security business as Resideo Technologies, an independent public company. Resideo makes and sells thermostats and other home products under the Honeywell Home name through a long-term licensing agreement. Honeywell itself is now headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, while the thermostats installers know as Honeywell Home come from Resideo.
The Lineup
What Honeywell Home builds today
Honeywell Home thermostats range from simple non-programmable models to Wi-Fi smart thermostats, along with zoning, humidity and ventilation controls. HVAC365 carries a few professional thermostats:
- Programmable thermostats: the T6 Pro, configurable for systems up to two stages of heat and one of cooling.
- Smart Wi-Fi thermostats: the ElitePRO S1100 with a 5-inch screen, handling up to four stages of heat and two of cooling on a heat pump, or three heat and three cool on conventional systems.
Before replacing a thermostat, confirm the system type and stage count, and whether the new model needs a C-wire for continuous power.
At a Glance
Honeywell by the numbers
- Roots
- 1885
- Inventor
- Albert Butz
- Namesake
- Mark Honeywell
- Iconic thermostat
- T-86 Round, 1953
- Honeywell Home maker
- Resideo Technologies, since 2018
Questions
Frequently asked questions about Honeywell
Who makes Honeywell Home thermostats?
Honeywell Home thermostats are made and sold by Resideo Technologies, which was spun off from Honeywell in October 2018 and uses the Honeywell Home name under a long-term licensing agreement.
When did Honeywell start making thermostats?
Honeywell's thermostat roots go back to 1885, when Albert Butz invented the damper flapper and founded the Butz Thermo-Electric Regulator Company.
What is the Honeywell Round thermostat?
The T-86 Round, introduced in 1953, is a circular dial thermostat that became Honeywell's best-known product.
Is the T6 Pro a smart thermostat?
The T6 Pro listed here is a programmable thermostat for up to two heat and one cool stage. The ElitePRO S1100 is the Wi-Fi smart model.