Thermostat Installation near you

Most homes use one of a few families of thermostats, and the heating system decides which ones are possible.

A thermostat has to match the equipment's stages and controls. A heat pump heats and cools with the same unit and relies on backup heat in the coldest weather, so it needs a thermostat built for heat pumps that can manage auxiliary and emergency heat. Natural Resources Canada notes that deep setbacks can make the supplementary heat run more than expected, and recommends moderate setbacks of no more than 2°C, or a smart thermostat that starts the system early.

In a dual-fuel system, a heat pump works with a gas or oil furnace, and a control decides which one runs depending on outdoor conditions, so the thermostat and the equipment settings have to be configured together. Boilers and radiant floors respond slowly, and Natural Resources Canada cautions that some hydronic systems don't gain from turning the thermostat down the way forced-air systems do. Multi-stage or variable-speed equipment, humidifiers and air exchangers may also need specific terminals, so give the installer the equipment's model numbers before you buy.

A low-voltage thermostat connects to the furnace or air handler through a thin cable of coloured wires, each serving a function such as heating, cooling, the fan or a heat pump's reversing valve. The technician shuts off power to the equipment, labels each wire before removing the old thermostat, mounts the new base, connects the wires to the right terminals, then sets the thermostat for the system type and tests heating, cooling and the fan.

Many smart thermostats need continuous power, which usually comes through a common wire, often called the C-wire. Older homes may not have one at the thermostat. The options include a spare wire in the existing cable, a new cable, or an adapter approved by the thermostat's manufacturer; borrowing another wire as a makeshift fix can make the equipment misbehave. Battery-powered models avoid the question but still need compatible wiring.

Thermostats for baseboard heaters, and those for some fan-forced wall heaters and radiant ceilings, are wired directly into household-voltage circuits. Replacing one means working inside an electrical box on a circuit that can cause a serious shock or a fire if the job is done wrong, so it isn't a do-it-yourself task, whatever the packaging suggests. In Ontario, the Electrical Safety Authority advises hiring a licensed electrical contractor, and in Quebec, the Corporation des maîtres électriciens du Québec reminds homeowners that a licence is mandatory for electrical contractors.

Turning the heat down at night and while the house is empty is where a programmable or smart thermostat pays off. Natural Resources Canada says a drop of 1°C over an eight-hour period can save about 2 percent on heating energy consumption, and that, except for some hydronic systems and heat pumps with slow response times, you can save energy by turning down your thermostat.

It also advises against setting the temperature below 17°C, because of the risk of moisture building up in the exterior walls. With a heat pump, keep setbacks moderate, as its heat pump guidance recommends. In summer, the same idea works in reverse: let the house warm up a little while you are away rather than cooling empty rooms.

A thermostat only knows the temperature where it hangs. If that spot is warmer or cooler than the rest of the room, the whole house follows the wrong reading.

Remote control, schedules that adapt to your routine, occupancy sensors, energy reports and alerts when the house gets too cold can all be useful, especially for a cottage or when you travel in winter. They also mean the thermostat collects data about when you are home and connects to your network, so ask how it behaves if the Internet goes down; a good model keeps running its schedule.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada suggests activating only the features you actually need and providing only the minimum information during setup. Get Cyber Safe recommends changing default passwords, turning on automatic updates, putting smart devices on a separate guest network and using two-factor authentication where it's offered.

Signs that a thermostat needs replacing include a blank display, a system that runs constantly or starts and stops in short bursts, readings that don't match a separate thermometer, or a model that can't handle new equipment such as a heat pump. Check the batteries and the circuit breaker first, since a dead battery or a tripped breaker can look like a failed thermostat.

Many older dial thermostats hold a small glass bulb of mercury. Mercury thermostats count as household hazardous waste: York Region, for example, directs residents to take them to a hazardous waste depot, and the City of Montréal says hazardous household waste must never go in the garbage, the sewer or the recycling bin, and lists mercury among the materials its ecocentres accept. Ask the installer to remove the old unit intact and take it for proper disposal, or leave it with you in a sealed, labelled bag for your local depot, and never try to remove the mercury yourself.