Thermostat installation
A new smart thermostat, a replacement for one that has died, or a second one for upstairs. We fit it, wire it correctly and set it up for your system.
A thermostat is the part of the system you touch every day, and fitting the right one is usually a short visit.
Thermostat installation means taking the old one off the wall, checking the wires behind it, mounting the new one and setting it up to match your heating and cooling equipment. The wiring and the settings matter more than the model. A thermostat set up for the wrong kind of system can leave you with no heat, no cooling, or a system that starts and stops all day.
We install smart and standard thermostats for central air conditioners, gas furnaces and heat pumps in homes across Los Angeles County and eastern Ventura County, from Beverly Hills and West Hollywood to Glendale, North Hollywood, Encino, Westlake Village and Long Beach. If the thermostat is only part of the problem, see all our heating and cooling services.
A new thermostat, or a problem with the system?
A new thermostat helps when the old one is inaccurate, hard to read or program, has lost its settings, or you want a schedule and control from your phone. It also helps when you have replaced the system and the old thermostat cannot run the new equipment properly.
It will not help when the fault is somewhere else. A system that gets the call from the thermostat and still blows warm air needs AC repair. A blank screen can mean a tripped safety switch or a blown fuse at the furnace, not a dead thermostat. One room that is always hot is usually a duct problem. We test the system before we recommend a thermostat, so you do not pay to replace a part that was working.
What a smart thermostat needs
Smart thermostats such as Nest and Ecobee work with a wide range of systems, but they need a few things in place first.
A common wire
Smart thermostats need steady power, which comes through a wire called the C-wire. Older homes often have only two to four wires at the wall. We use a spare wire in the bundle, run a new one or fit a power adapter at the equipment.
Heat pump wiring
A heat pump uses a wire to switch between heating and cooling, and often another for backup heat. Set up wrong, it cools when you want heat. We match the wiring and the settings to your heat pump.
Compatible equipment
Standard furnaces, air conditioners and heat pumps work well with smart thermostats. Some variable-speed systems use the maker's own control, and older wall furnaces often run on a tiny self-generated current that a standard smart thermostat cannot use.
Stages set correctly
Two-stage and variable systems need the thermostat set to match, or they run at full power all the time and lose the comfort and savings they were built for.
The right spot on the wall
An inside wall, away from direct sun, kitchen heat and supply vents, so the thermostat reads the room and not a hot spot.
Zoning and more than one thermostat
In a larger or two-story house, upstairs is often hot while downstairs is cool. One thermostat in the hallway cannot fix that on its own.
There are two main answers. A house can have a separate system for each floor, each with its own thermostat. Or one system can be zoned, with motorized dampers inside the ducts, a zone control panel and a thermostat for each zone, so the system sends air where it is needed. Some smart thermostats also take remote room sensors, which lets a single system average the temperature across several rooms.
Zoning depends on the ducts, so we look at them first. If a zone would be starved of air by an undersized or leaking duct, we tell you before you spend money on controls. For a house that needs heating and cooling from one system, a heat pump can pair with the same kind of smart control.
What the visit involves
A thermostat visit is short when the wiring is ready, and a little longer when it is not.
You call or send the form
Tell us what system you have, the thermostat you want, and whether it is a heat pump. A photo of the wires behind your current thermostat helps a lot.
We check the system and the wiring
We run the heating and the cooling, count the wires and check for a common wire, so we know the new thermostat will have what it needs.
We mount and wire it
We take the old one down, run a new wire or fit an adapter if needed, and mount the new thermostat level and secure.
We set it up and test it
We set the equipment type, stages and any backup heat, help you with the schedule and the phone app, and test the heating and the cooling before we leave.
Why call Air Cove HVAC
We work on the equipment behind the thermostat, not just the box on the wall. That is what gets a heat pump, a two-stage furnace or a system with no common wire set up correctly the first time. We are licensed and insured. A tune-up and HVAC maintenance visit is also a good time to add a new thermostat, since we are already checking the system.
Thermostat installation questions
Can I install a thermostat myself?
Often, yes, on a simple furnace and air conditioner with a common wire already in place. Turn the power off at the breaker, photograph the wires before you remove anything, and match each wire to its letter on the new base. It gets harder with a heat pump, a two-stage system, a missing common wire, wires that do not match their labels, or an older wall furnace. Those are the jobs to hand to us.
Do you need an electrician to install a thermostat?
Usually not. A central heating and cooling thermostat runs on low voltage, about 24 volts, supplied by the equipment rather than the house wiring. That makes it HVAC work, not electrical work. The exception is a line-voltage thermostat that runs an electric heater on household current, which needs extra care and the power switched off at the breaker.
How much does it cost to install a thermostat in a house?
It depends on the thermostat you choose and on your system. Running a new common wire, setting up a heat pump or a two-stage system, adding more than one thermostat or wiring a zoned system all add time. We price it once we know the system and what is behind the wall.
Will a new thermostat fix my heating or cooling?
Only if the thermostat is the fault. If the system gets the signal and still does not heat or cool, the problem is in the equipment. We test that before we recommend a new thermostat.
How long does it take?
A straight swap with the wiring in place is usually a short visit. Running a new wire, setting up a heat pump or wiring zones takes longer.
Thinking about a smart thermostat? Tell us what system you have and we will tell you what it needs.
Take control of the temperature
Call us, or send the form and we will call you back. We install thermostats across Los Angeles, seven days a week.