The Carrier Cor thermostat talks a hard game when it comes to maximizing your home’s energy needs. Plus, the sleek look and smart technology offered by the product adds a new layer of modernity to a traditionally outdated system.
But is the Carrier Cor all it is cracked up to be? Or does it promise more than it can deliver? How hard is it to use the system, and does it malfunction often? If you want to know the answer to these questions and more, then you came to the right place.
In this Carrier Cor thermostat review, we take an objective view of the heating and cooling product with all of its pros and cons. The company makes a lot of ambitious claims when it comes to its product. In this article, we investigate whether they are right by looking at it in true light — warts and all.
That way, you know for sure whether or not the thermostat is the best fit for your home. But before we dive into the Carrier Cor thermostat review, let us take a closer look at what the product is and how it functions.
What Is a Carrier Cor Thermostat?
The Carrier Cor is an Energy Star certified thermostat that utilizes smart home technology to create a product that streamlines heating and cooling systems. One of the brand’s main selling points is the fact that the Carrier Cor saves a lot of money on your monthly energy bill.
On average people claim that they reduce their heating and cooling costs by around twenty percent. In addition to controlling the temperature and saving money, the thermostat also features a new component. This “smart” feature allows the device to connect to your phone or the internet.
It can then access the daily weather and humidity in your area and display it for you. This app features also give you access to an accurate display of your energy usage reports, as well as tips for saving energy in the future.
If you go on vacation, then you can program the Carrier Cor to turn off so that you do not waste money while you travel. The device works with any Carrier heating and cooling systems. But, it is also compatible with any twenty-four volt systems. But make sure your home's system falls under it before you purchase it.
Carrier Cor Thermostat Specs
The Carrier Cor features a colored touch screen which you use to set the temperature and access various setting. This bright screen displays a four-day weather forecast, so you do not need to turn on the weather channel every time you want to see the predictions.
It also features compatibility with the Amazon Alexa system. As such, you can utilize voice commands if you like these systems together. You can also program the various settings on it (like the wake, sleep, away, or sleep functions) seven days in advance.
It features two different fan speed options: 'on' and 'auto.' The thermostat comes with an impressive five-year warranty. However, it is essential to note that this warranty only applies if you get it installed through a professional contractor that the company licenses.
The product also gives you reminders when things need repair or maintenance. For example, it will tell you when you need to change the air filter, UV lamp, or humidifier pads.
Spec Table
Price — Around two hundred and fifty to three hundred dollars
Days you can program on it — Seven
Is Amazon Alexa compatible? — Yes
Local weather forecast? — Yes, four-day forecast
Energy Star certified? Yes
Fan speed options — On and auto
Reminders by the product — fixed schedule, runtime-based filter, UV lamp, and humidifier pads
Warranty — Five years, if done through a licensed contractor
Carrier Cor Thermostat Price
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The price of the Carrier Cor thermostat depends on who you go through when purchasing it. Most of the time, the cost falls around the two hundred fifty to three hundred dollar price range. However, there are additional charges if you get a professional to install the product into your HVAC system.
As such, the overall price of the product can vary from location to location, depending on how much your contractor charges.
Usually, the thermostat plus installation averages out to around five hundred dollars — through the company claims you will easily make up for this investment with the energy saving on your bill each month.
How the Carrier Cor Thermostat Compares With Other Brands
In this section, we compare the Carrier Cor thermostat with two other popular brands. Specifically, we compare it with the Honeywell RTH5100B 1025 Deluxe Manual Thermostat and the Nest (T3007ES) Learning Thermostat.
We selected these brands because they represent two models that offer some different options in terms of price point and features.
As such, they help us identify some of the areas in which the Cor thermostat excel and some areas in which it could use improvement. It also gives some alternative selections for people who think that the Cor would not work well for there home.
Honeywell RTH5100B 1025 Deluxe Manual Thermostat
[amazon box=”B002RL9BIM”]
Price
The Honeywell RTH5100B 1025 Deluxe Manual Thermostat costs around fifty-six dollars, which makes it much more affordable than the Carrier Cor.
Five stars out of three stars
Ease of Use
The Honeywell RTH5100B offers an incredibly streamlined design with easily understandable buttons and functions. If you get easily intimidated by complicated thermostats, then this option is an excellent alternative to the Cor product.
Four stars out of five stars
Assembly Time
Installing the product is comfortable and in many cases, self-explanatory. One great thing about the Honeywell brand is that you do not need a professional installer if you possess some basic knowledge about electronics and your HVAC system.
Four stars out of five stars
Build Quality
Unfortunately, there is a reason the product does not cost much. The overall build quality of Honeywell is not the best in the business. Some customers reported the circuits melting within a month of purchase. However, these quality issues are not universal. A lot of people had better luck with the product.
Three stars out of five stars
Warranty
The Honeywell RTH5100B 1025 Deluxe Manual Thermostat comes with a one-year limited warranty offer.
Three stars out of five stars
Nest (T3007ES) Learning Thermostat
[amazon box=”B0131RG6VK”]
Price
The Nest (T3007ES) Learning Thermostat costs around two hundred and nineteen dollars, which makes it a little more affordable than the Carrier Cor, but not by much.
Three stars out of five stars
Ease of Use
Though it does cost a little more than the Carrier Cor, the Nest (T3007ES) Learning Thermostat offers a much more convenient interface than the latter since it does not feature a finicky touch screen. You can read the set temperature from across the room and change it using voice controls with Amazon Alexa.
Five stars out of five stars
Assembly Time
The Nest (T3007ES) Learning Thermostat only takes around an hour to install in your home as long as you possess a proficient knowledge of HVAC system and assembly. However, even newcomers can learn as long as they put in the research.
Three stars out of five stars
Build Quality
The build quality of the Nest (T3007ES) Learning Thermostat is exceptional — probably owing to its slightly more expensive price tag. There are very few cases of the product malfunctioning within its warranty period. It also works great at saving energy for your home, as the Carrier Cor.
Four stars out of five stars
Warranty
The Nest (T3007ES) Learning Thermostat comes with a two-year limited warranty offer.
Four stars out of five stars
Carrier Cor Thermostat Pros and Cons
In this section, we take a look at five things we love about the product and five things that we think need improvement. We list these pros based both on our own experience and customer reviews of the product.
Pros
Not including the obvious benefits, like the energy-saving capabilities of the thermostat, there is still a lot to like about the Carrier Cor product. For one thing, it can read not only the temperature outside but also the humidity.
This feature is great for days when the weather forecast might give a cold temperature, but it feels much hotter because of the humidity. If you program it a certain way, then the Carrier Cor will automatically adjust your home’s heating or cooling system depending on the outside temperature.
However, if you prefer setting the thermostat manually, then you can do that too, or any combination in between. The blend of custom and auto settings work nicely together. If you suffer from pollen allergies, then you will love owning the Carrier Cor thermostat in the Spring or Fall.
The circulation filters out any pollen that might sneak into your system. Plus, the filter settings help you remind you when the filter gets dirty, so you will not need to rely on guesswork. You can set it to tell you after a certain amount of days, weeks, or months.
- Great humidity reader
- Controls the air or heating for you
- A beautiful blend of custom and auto settings
- Good air circulation feature
- Helpful filter reminders
Cons
However, the product is not perfect. Many people experienced compatibility issues when trying to install the product since the company is not explicit in which systems work correctly with it.
What is more, when these people tried returning the product, the company did not offer them a refund, which means they lost a lot of money. The five-year warrant for the system only works if you get in installed through a professional contractor.
Other people complained that the product does not offer an adequate user interface. They said that it is straightforward to select a wrong button and throw the entire heating or cooling of your house off track. Some customers even reported that the product stops working after one year.
While these cases may be isolated, they do represent a lack of quality that the company needs to deal with before sending out their products. Many people also found the internet feature, which allows you to control your system remotely, to be awkward and poorly designed.
- Only works with conventional twenty-four volt systems
- No available refund for mistakes
- Poor user interface
- Short life on some units
- Poor, remote access via internet and apps
The Verdict
Image Via unsplash
There are some things that the Carrier Cor does exceptionally well, and there are some things that nearly ruin the experience. We love the energy saving capabilities of the device as well as specific settings like the humidity checker, air circulation, and customizable on and off features.
However, some things just do not work, like the standard user interface and the durability of the product. However, the company does offer a warranty, but only if you go through an official installer licensed by them.
As such, if you decide that the Carrier Cor is the best product for your HVAC needs, then we recommend buying through this channel. Also, make sure that your system is compatible with the Cor as the company does not reimburse these accidental purchases.
Altogether, we give the product three stars out of five stars — when it works its sound, but you need to live with a lot of annoying nuances.
But if you can put up with them, then you will save a pretty good amount. We hope this Carrier Cor thermostat review helped you decide whether or not the product fits your needs. Good luck with installing it!
