• Most homeowners can easily understand the digital thermostat.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  Digital thermostats regulate the temperature in a building or a specific room. Traditional thermostats relied on mercury to determine the temperature, but modern thermostats are controlled electronically. The temperature is detected via thermistors. The digital thermostat sends the desired temperature to the heating and cooling system, which adjusts the temperatures accordingly. The digital thermostat strengths lie in the broader range of features not found in traditional thermostats.
  
  

Ease of Use

• Digital thermostats tend to have easier to use controls. These thermostats come with a variety of buttons that are more intuitive than the controls found on the analog thermostat, according to Best Brand to Buy. Homeowners have a much easier time reading temperature displays with the digital thermostat than with the analog thermostat. These displays illuminate so that the homeowner can see the display at night. The digital thermostat also tends to have more accurate temperature readings than the traditional thermostat.
  
  

Energy Efficiency

• Digital thermostats have greater energy efficiency than analog thermostats. These thermostats help homeowners keep track of the temperature of various different rooms and also allow homeowners to raise or lower certain temperatures when needed, according to Best Brand to Buy. The thermostat instantly shuts off when the temperature in the particular room reaches a certain temperature.
  
  

No Mercury

• Digital thermostats do not use mercury. Mercury is a mineral that can cause adverse health effects such as brain damage in children. If the thermostat breaks, the mercury can spill all over and can contaminate the home. The digital thermostats, on the other hand, use only circuits and wires with no mercury at all.
  
  

Affordability

• Basic digital thermostats cost less than the programmable thermostats. However, the programmable thermostat allows homeowners to set temperatures across a span of seven days, with the temperature rising and falling throughout the day. This may result in more affordable utility bills.
  
  

Maintenance

• Digital thermostats often have features that tell the homeowner when the digital thermostat is malfunctioning so that the homeowner can make a service call or make the necessary repairs herself. Digital thermostats do not have moving parts, so they break down less often. Service calls mostly focus on locating blown circuits and replacing them. One downside is that the digital thermostat is powered by electricity, but these thermostats often have battery backup so that the thermostat continues to function during an outage.
  
  

Remote Access

• Digital thermostats sometimes come with microprocessors that allow homeowners to send a signal to the thermostat via a cell phone or computer to raise or lower the temperature.