Digital Thermostats

Installing a Programmable Thermostat

A programmable digital thermostat is one of the simplest ways to reduce energy use. You can save up to 20 percent in heating costs just by lowering your thermostat 5 degrees at night and 10 degrees during the day if no one is home. Similar savings apply to cooling too.

A programmable thermostat will do this automatically. It doesn't make mistakes, and it doesn't forget. Depending on the model, a programmable thermostat can be set to run your furnace and air-conditioning at several settings throughout the day, and the settings can vary from day to day. A heat program, for example, might set the heat at 65 degrees 30 minutes before you wake up and turn it back down to 55 when you leave for work. The setting could go up just before you come home and drop to 60 at bedtime.

A programmable thermostat is easy to use and install. Be sure the power is off when working on a thermostat.

Checklist

Time
About 15 minutes

Tools
Screwdriver, drill, hammer

Skills
Stripping wire, drilling holes

Materials
Programmable thermostat

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Step 1

Remove the cover from the old thermostat. The cover usually snaps off, but if your cover doesn't come off easily, look for and remove screws that may hold it in place.

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Step 2

Disconnect the wires. The wires are usually color coded, with some of the wires controlling the cooling system (if any) and the others controlling the heat. If the wires aren't color coded, label them with tape, marking the tape with the letter of the terminal the wire attaches to.

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Step 3

Remove the thermostat from the wall. Screws hold the back of the thermostat to the wall. Find and remove them.

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Step 4

Lay out holes for the new thermostat. Use the template that comes with the new thermostat to mark the hole locations on the wall. Drill the holes using the bit size the manufacturer recommends.

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Step 5

Install anchors. The new screws go into plastic anchors that come with the thermostat and mount into the wall to keep the screws from pulling out. Insert the anchors into the holes you drilled and tap them in with a hammer.

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Step 6

Screw the new back plate to the wall. Hang the thermostat on the wall using the screws that come with it.

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Step 7

Wire the base. Connect the wires to the terminals, matching the color of the wire to the labels by each terminal.

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Step 8

Attach the body. Place batteries into the thermostat and snap the body of the thermostat over the back plate. Follow the manufacturer?s instructions to program.

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