Carrying on from the May rants …
I am aware, and I absolutely hate those things. The fact that I’m an Olde Fart who hates new tech just on general principle inflames my hatred all the more. My current thermostat requires batteries to support its ability to have a bazillion different programmed “modes”. This was not my choice – it came with the house. Here is how I have it “programmed”: I set a temperature, and by pressing a whole bunch of different buttons I can finally persuade it to perform the task of keeping the house at that temperature and doing nothing else. That is all I ask of a thermostat.
The wiring from the furnace supplies all necessary current to allow a basic thermostat like the classic analog “Honeywell Round” to function. The problem is, you can’t buy them any more. All you can get any more is newfangled gadgetry with digital displays and artificial intelligence and, of course, the need for batteries. I deeply resent “smart” thermostats that are smarter than I am and need batteries to show off their skills, when all I want is something to keep the house at a steady temperature.