How to Install a Programmable Thermostat

Installing a programmable thermostat is one of the smartest things you can do to start saving some money on your energy bill. Compared to the old one temperature setting these programmable units are much more energy efficient. With a programmable thermostat you can set the temperature to differ depending on what time of day it is. With the old one setting thermostats you could pick one setting and that's what it would be all day long, even if you weren't there. Most programmable thermostats come with settings to cycle through the week and the weekend separately, and within those two cycles there are settings to use within four different times of day (that you can customize). Usually there is a "wake", "sleep", "leave", and "return" function which is pretty self explanatory. Installing your programmable thermostat is actually quite easy and quick to do.

To install a programmable thermostat the fist thing you need to do is detach the wires. Let me back up, the very first thing you should do is turn off the power to the furnace. The face of all thermostats usually pops right off with a little applied pressure. Here is the most important step to make this an easy project. You need to look at the back of the old thermostat while the wires are still hooked up and label your wires with the corresponding letter that it goes into in the old thermostat. Once you see it you will understand what I am talking about. When you detach each wire (after it is labeled) make sure you come up with a way to keep the wire in reach and preferably attached to the thermostat base, usually just bending the wire so it stays in place works just fine. As you pull the old thermostat away from the wall make sure and grab the wires in back so they don't go behind the wall (not fun). Once you have the wires in hand and the old thermostat off to the side, get a pencil or something to wrap the wires around so they stay where they need to be. With the wires secure you are ready to start putting in your new programmable thermostat.

First you need to separate the body of the new thermostat from the base. Remove your object holding the wires and thread them through the base of the new thermostat and leave them there. A good idea is to stuff some paper towel or insulation behind the thermostat in the hole to avoid having drafts hitting the unit from behind the wall. Put the unit on the wall and using a level make sure it's level while marking the mounting holes in the base to the wall as to know where to put your screws. If you are going into studs or wood drill pilot holes for wood screws, if you are going into drywall (most likely) you need to drill pilot holes for anchors. Once the holes are drilled simply mount the base to the wall. Now that the base is mounted to the wall you are ready to start hooking the wires to the appropriate terminal. Your owners guide will walk you through which wire goes to the correct terminal. Put your batteries in so you don't lose the program if you should have a power outage and put the cover on. Program the thermostat and you are good to go.

This is actually one of the easiest home upgrades I have ever done just because it is a matter of unscrewing and screwing some screws and then putting a few wires in the correct hole. It takes about 30 minutes if you don't have any repairs to make on the wall due to damage from the prior thermostat. Hope this helps and good luck.