A room thermostat belongs to the category of heating accessories known as atmosphere controller. These devices are designed to regulate the room temperature in a home. They allow you to enter a desired comfort temperature and switch the connected boiler on or off in order to maintain this setpoint temperature. 

Based on different classifications, the thermostats can be divided to mechanical thermostat and digital thermostat,  conventional thermostat and smart thermostat, boiler thermostat and radiator thermostat, wired and wireless thermostat, programmable and unprogrammable thermostat. In this article let’s take a quick glimpse about difference of the un-programmable thermostat and a programmable one.
 

For Non-programmable wired thermostats are battery powered instead of 230Vac supply. They are the simplest heating regulation devices with voltage-free output (a dry contact). Room temperature and set temperature can be read directly from LCD display, and users only can adjust setpoint. Normally the un-programmable type only has very few button or only one knob button with temperature adjusting up or down. Although it’s not allowed to set a automatic running schedule, it’s already enough especially the central hydronic floor heating which heat efficiency is slow. 
 
For Programmable electronic wired thermostats, it is an improved version of the un-programmable thermostat. It is more advanced both in terms of heating regulation and energy saving. This type of thermostat allows you to program the temperature, for example based on when you'll be at home. It has at least two modes - comfort and eco - and adjusts the heating according to your habits. For example, there's no need to heat your home to 19° if you're not there or during the night. You can program it to your personal needs, so it's suited to your lifestyle. With a programmable electronic thermostat the boiler is used less, and you'll notice the difference on your heating bill. Featuring a digital display, electronic thermostats are also easier to read and more accurate than standard thermostats.