How Much Does It Cost to Install a Home Thermostat in Florida?

The cost to install a home thermostat in Florida ranges from $180 to $300, with the average homeowner paying $228.

So what causes the price to fluctuate? Well, the overall price of a thermostat installation depends on 2 factors:

1. Type of thermostat
2. Installer

To help you get a better idea of what you’ll pay for a home thermostat installation, we’ll take a closer look at these 2 price factors.

Live in Fort Myers and want a specific quote for your thermostat installation? Just contact us.

3 types of thermostats you’ll be able to choose from include:

1. Manual
2. Programmable
3. Smart Wireless

Let’s take a look at how each one works and what you can expect to pay for each one.

Price range:Low

• $25-$60 (not including installation costs)

How it works:
The manual thermostat is the most basic and traditional type of thermostat available. If you crave simplicity and don’t like to be bombarded with buttons and special features, this is the thermostat for you.

As its name suggests, with manual thermostats, the only way to adjust your home’s temperature is to go to the thermostat and manually reset it yourself. These thermostats usually allow you to adjust the temperature via either up/down buttons or a dial. 

Manual thermostats can be either digital or analog (non-digital). Digital manual thermostats are slightly more expensive than their non-digital counterpart but offer nice backlit displays and slightly more accurate temperature readings.

Features:

• Displays the current temperature of the room
• Back-lit display (if digital)
• Buttons or a dial to adjust the temperature
• ON/AUTO/OFF buttons to control the blower fan

Price range:Moderate

• $90- $150 (not including installation)

How it works:
Programmable thermostats take away the hassle of manually adjusting your home’s thermostat. Basically, you set up schedules that dictate when the thermostat will automatically raise or lower the temperature of your home. With programmable thermostats, you can create up to 7 different daily schedules for your thermostat to follow. 

The biggest selling point of a programmable thermostat is the potential to save big on your annual heating/cooling bill. According to Energy.gov, as long as you schedule your programmable thermostat to roll back the temperature 10° or more for at least 8 hours a day, you can save 10% on your annual heating/cooling bill.

For example, in the winter, if you were to schedule your programmable thermostat to...

• Drop from 76° to 66° from 8am to 5pm (while you’re at work)
• Automatically return to 76° at 5pm (so you return home to a comfortably warm home)

…you would save 10% on your energy bills (the idea being that you’re no longer wasting money heating an empty home).

Related: Can We Really Trust Programmable Thermostats to Save You Money?

Features:

• Digital backlit displays
• Wireless models available
• Up to 7 days of pre-programmed schedules
• Energy saving modes
• Tells you when to change air filters/when equipment is malfunctioning
• Touch screens (for most models)

Price range:High

• $200-$500 (not including installation)

How it works:
Technically, smart wireless thermostats are just a type of programmable thermostat. That said, they’re the most advanced programmable thermostat available and are often categorized separately due to 2 important features:

1. They have the ability to learn your habits and make energy-efficient temperature decisions on your behalf.
2. They allow you to change the temperature of your home remotely via devices such as your phone or laptop.

Basically, they’re the better option (over programmable thermostats) if you have an erratic schedule. 

For example, instead of sticking to strict pre-set schedules like a programmable thermostat does, a smart thermostat will make the temperature decisions for you at any give time, based on past thermostat settings. They usually take 1–2 weeks to learn your temperature preferences—after that, they’ll mimic them and control your home’s temperature for you.

And here’s the best part: they can actually detect when you’ve left the home and will automatically revert to energy-saving temperatures at that point. From there, you can remotely adjust the temperature to your preference right before you return home.

Features:

• Bigger, brighter touch screens
• Learns and mimics your temperature adjusting habits
• Makes energy-efficient temperature adjustments in real time, on your behalf
• Detects when you’re not home and reverts to energy-saving mode
• Can show energy usage in real time
• Remote access and control of your home’s temperature

You can expect to pay anywhere from $100 to over $300 in labor fees for your thermostat installation. The actual labor fees mainly depends on 2 things:

1. The contractor you choose
2. The complexity of the job

Higher quality contractors typically charge higher labor fees for a thermostat installation but they’ll usually save you more money in the long run.

You see, the thermostat controls your entire heating and cooling system. And if it’s installed incorrectly, it won’t be able to read the temperature of your home correctly, which could result in hundreds of dollars in wasted energy—every year.

Our advice is to get quotes from several contractors but don’t just go with the lowest price. Instead, pick the contractor who is most experienced and knowledgeable about your specific type of heating/cooling systems.

For more advice in how to choose a reputable contractor, check out our blog that offers 5 tips to find a good contractor.

The longer it takes and the tougher it is to install your thermostat, the more you’ll pay for your installation.

Factors that make a thermostat installation more complex:

• If you have a dual fuel system (heat pump paired with a furnace)
• If you have a whole-home humidifier or dehumidifier
• If you need to move the placement of your thermostat for more accurate temperature readings
• Patching up/painting walls due to moving the thermostat placement
• Connecting a wireless thermostat to your wi-fi network

Just contact us. We’ll chat with you to get all the details then provide a fair quote for your thermostat installation.