What Does Circ Mean On The Thermostat?

Wondering what “Circ” means on your thermostat? Let’s explore what this is and how it can improve comfort and energy efficiency in your home!

The circ option on a honeywell thermostat is a setting that allows the fan to run independent of the heating and cooling function.

Technically, when the thermostat fan is on the circ position, the thermostat will run the fan approximately 35% of the time, roughly 20 minutes each hour, minus any time the fan is already running with the heating or cooling system.

What are Honeywell thermostat fan settings?

A Honeywell thermostat can have 3 different fan settings depending on the model. These are the Fan Auto, Fan Circ and Fan On.  We are going to look at each of these settings and their functions shortly.

Read also: Can you run fan only without AC on thermostat

Fan  Auto vs Fan Circulate Vs Fan On

In the following table let’s look at the differences between the 3 fan positions on a thermostat.

Auto	Circ	Fan on
Fan will turn on with heat or cool	Fan will turn on with /without cool or heat	Fan will run all the time
No heat/cool fan is off	Fan runs 35% of the time per hour- heating/cooling time	Fan runs all the time
Conserves Energy	Can conserve some energy	No energy conservation
Feature available on any modern thermostat	Feature available on any modern thermostat	Feature only available on select models

Auto mode on thermostat

The Auto mode is the normal setting for a system fan. This setting will allow the system fan to operate whenever there is a call for heating or cooling system from the thermostat.

 The fan will not blow air unless heating or cooling on it is turned on on a thermostat.

Circ mode on thermostat

The ‘circ’  or circulate setting is a feature that is available only on select thermostats.

This setting.  will run the fan approximately 35% of the time, roughly 20 minutes each hour, minus any time the fan is already running with the heating or cooling system.

Fan mode on thermostat

The fan ‘On’ setting  will run  the fan continuously, regardless of whether there is calling for  heating or cooling.

This is the setting used to move air in your space all the time instead of when the system is running. In hot weather conditions it may provide some evaporative ‘cooling effect’ as it will work as a fan.

Read also: Thermostat following schedule in recovery

Honeywell thermostats with fan circulate mode

The best Honeywell thermostats with fan circulate mode include the T6 Pro Smart thermostat, WIFI 9000 color touchscreen thermostat and VisionPro 8000 series

Not all Honeywell thermostats come with the circ setting feature, there are only select models and the following Honeywell thermostats do have the fan circulate mode and are worth considering if you are thinking of getting a thermostat with fan circulate mode.

T6 Pro Smart thermostat

WIFI 9000 color touchscreen thermostat

VisionPro 8000 series

When should you use circulate on thermostat? 

If circ mode is available a  thermostat, it is typically used when there is low demand seasonally, such as fall or spring, or due to setback, either “leave/away” or “sleep”, to help move air around the home.

Read also: Honeywell thermostat not showing heat option

FAQ

What other benefits does the “Circ” mode offer besides comfort and energy efficiency?

In addition to improved comfort and energy efficiency, the “Circ” mode can help reduce hot or cold spots in your home by maintaining a more even distribution of air.

It also helps filter the air by continuously cycling it through the HVAC system’s filtration system, potentially improving indoor air quality.

How does the “Circ” mode provide a cooling effect in hot weather conditions?

In hot weather conditions, the “Circ” mode can provide a slight evaporative cooling effect.

By running the fan continuously, it helps to quickly move the air on our skin’s surface and  evaporate the  droplets of sweat thereby  creating a breeze and increasing the perceived cooling effect.

Final thoughts.

To wrap up, I hope you  now know what the circ option is on your thermostat and what thermostats support this feature.

 If you want to get a thermostat that has the circ feature, you can confidently pick from the models that we have recommended in this guide, that includes T6 Pro Smart thermostat, WIFI 9000 color touchscreen thermostat, and VisionPro 8000 series.