Thermostat display system providing adjustable backlight and indicators

A thermostat for controlling heating and/or cooling equipment, comprising:

• a backlit user display screen for displaying operational information about the heating and/or cooling equipment controlled by the thermostat;
• wherein the thermostat is configured to vary an illumination intensity of the backlit user display screen based on a user programmable illumination parameter;
• wherein the at least one user programmable operational mode illumination parameter includes at least one user programmable normal operation parameter and at least one user programmable erroneous operation parameter, and wherein the thermostat is configured to vary the illumination intensity of the backlit user display screen during normal operation based on the at least one user programmable normal operation parameter, and wherein the thermostat is configured to vary the illumination intensity of the backlit user display screen during erroneous operation based on the at least one user programmable erroneous operation parameter;
• wherein the thermostat is configured to vary the illumination of the backlit user display screen when switching from the normal operation mode to the erroneous operation mode based on the user programmable normal operation parameter and the user programmable erroneous operation parameter without any manipulation of the thermostat by a user.