So I decided to replace my old dial/mercury switch thermostat with one of the programmable ones. It’s a really good thing to do because then you can set it to a more energy efficient temperature when you’re not home. Sounds pretty simple, right?

The first model I tried, a Home Depot store brand, wouldn’t work with my system. See the heating and air conditioning in this house is zoned. Zoned is good. Zoned means you can heat or cool different parts of the house independantly of each other.

In my case zoned is bad. The second floor is wired in as the second zone which means that there’s no fan control and only a very basic on/off mechanism. Unlike the downstairs which has much more control.

After taking the first one back I went over to Lowes and found one that should work. I got it all hooked up and nothing happened. Just like the first one. But this time I went downstairs and tried to turn the fan on. Nothing. Up in the attic I found that a fuse had blown due to me monkeying around without turning the electricity off. I replaced the fuse and tried again. Everything works! So now the upstairs is on a timer as well. Just in time for the Texas summers. Hopefully the electric bill will be lower.