Honeywell thermostats have become the standard for basic thermostats in homes with all sorts of heating systems, especially baseboard heating. The name has become ubiquitous with any of the simple dial thermostats, even if they were manufactured by an array of different companies. If your heating was installed any time in the past 20-30 years, there’s a very high chance that it’s controlled by an analog Honeywell thermostat.

And it’s time to upgrade.

But upgrade to what? Well, we’ll get to that in a second.


Steps For Uninstalling

Whether it’s a broken thermostat, an upgrade, or a replacement, let’s get that old thermostat off your wall safely.

First rule of changing a thermostat: turn off your breaker.

Second rule of changing a thermostat: Turn. Off. Your. Breaker.

Check and double check that there isn’t any power surging through your lines before you go ahead and do any work on it. There won’t be any indication on your thermostat, so have a voltmeter handy. If you don’t have one, your best bet is to turn up your thermostat and wait 20 minutes. If your heater doesn’t respond and is cold to the touch, you’re ready to move onto the next step:

Remove the faceplate and unscrew the thermostat from the gang box.
(You may run into some trouble getting the faceplate off the wall, especially if it’s old and has been painted over. Just use a knife or something similar to gently pry it off.)

The thermostat should fall loose now and you should be able to see the wires.

Carefully separate the wires that attach the thermostat to the power source.

 

TA-DA! Your thermostat should come off with ease.

Now that the thermostat has been removed, you’re going to have to make a decision for a replacement.

The two main options for upgrades: Programmable and smart thermostats.

Now that you can see the wires in your gang box, let’s see if you’re compatible with Mysa. Use our compatibility checker here to find out!


What to Switch to?

Programmable

The first step up is a programmable thermostat. These have been around for a couple of decades now, but are gradually starting to show their age in favour of more advanced, user-friendly technology like connected, smart thermostats. While programmable thermostats will help you maintain a steady schedule, they offer little in the way of advanced control that or technology that will further supplement the amount of energy you can save.

Having a set schedule seems nice, but the statistics tell a different story: only 30% of all programmable thermostats are actually set to a schedule at any given time. Why is this? Is it the overly complicated nature of setting them up? Their inaccuracy? Or a combination? Doesn’t matter – the point is that programmable thermostats are becoming obsolete in the age of the Internet of Things.


Smart
Smart Thermostats have become the most sensible, cost-effective, and ahead of the curve way to control the heat in your home. For most forms of home heating, a smart thermostat will give you unparalleled control and will benefit you greatly compared to simply replacing it with another “dumb” thermostat or even a programmable one. Any extra upfront cost will be quickly seen in the savings they provide, the ease of use, and the overall usefulness of all the smart features.

Want a schedule, like the programmable thermostats? Done – and might I add, in much less time. Or you could simply go with geofencing and allow your heat to cut in only when you’re on your way home. Makes everything more flexible, easy, and accommodating for the modern household.