In this video, Lowe’s HVAC specialist Derek Cole walks viewers through the thermostat selection available at Lowe’s, noting the prevalence of Honeywell models and a few Google Nest and other smart thermostats. He points out that retail packaging often lacks clear warranty information, typically offering only a 1‑year parts and labor warranty for DIY installations. Cole shares frequent problems he encounters when homeowners attempt DIY installs—blown fuses, incorrect wiring, and improper programming—leading to non‑functional units. He advises most homeowners to hire a professional, emphasizing that a pro‑installed Wi‑Fi thermostat comes with a 10‑year parts and labor warranty, smartphone control, and safety assurances. He compares the modest extra cost of professional installation to the risk of short‑term warranties and potential damage, urging viewers to prioritize safety and warranty coverage over perceived savings.
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We are back at Lowe's today. We are looking at thermostats, something very popular. We see, I'm not exaggerating, every single week customer installed thermostat. It is a problem because things are not done correctly, not what they tried themselves. Anyways, take a look at, uh, at what Lowe's has available. So as we're looking around here, most of the thermostats they have are Honeywell, Honeywell thermostats, but they do have a few options for the Google Nest and a few of the smart thermostats. Um, I'm kind of surprised at the pricing of these because when you turn turned over the box, I don't see anything anywhere about any kind of warranty. Now, it used to be 5-year parts on thermostat, but maybe if you install it yourself, I'm guessing it's 1 year. I mean, no one's really saying— I checked all the boxes. For warranty info. I didn't really see anything. Um, I did see where, you know, Lowe's will sell it for $99 with a 1-year labor warranty. It should be easy, right? I mean, you just match wires for wire, right? How hard can it be? That's the thing though. I mean, every single week— I'm, I'm not exaggerating— every single week We get phone calls when somebody tried to install their own thermostat and the unit's not working. And we get there and either a fuse is blown or it's not programmed right, or it's not programmed for the type of unit they have. So do I recommend you doing it yourself? Uh, the vast majority of you Probably not, because again, I'm not into being crazier. We get the phone calls, um, people mess up their system by trying to install their own thermostat. Now, some of you can probably do it. Most of you, you better call a professional, get them to install a thermostat. But even if you're looking at these thermostats that our current price. I mean, you're probably paying $100 more for us to do it, and you're leaving this 1-year parts and labor warranty behind, and you're moving to a 10-year parts and labor warranty when we install our Wi-Fi thermostat. So it doesn't even make sense, um, to pay hundreds of bucks, hundreds of bucks for a 1-year parts and labor warranty when you could pay a little bit more for a 10-year parts and labor warranty. So really, most of you, I do not recommend installing your own thermostat. It looks easy, you probably think you can do it. I hope you can, but if you can't, call a professional. And if you don't want to, if you don't want to even risk it, call a professional. I'm back at Elvis's, and I just wanted to give you some context. Um, the one we install most often is this Wi-Fi thermostat. Again, 10-year parts, 10-year labor when we install it, and it goes on your smartphone or tablet and you can control it from there. But to go back to what I was talking about in Lowe's, um, just be careful. Make sure the power is off. Take safety into consideration. Um, we again, not exaggerating, we've seen so many, so many clients that tried to install their own thermostat with it wrong. So If you're second-guessing or thinking you probably shouldn't, then you probably shouldn't. Um, so don't be ashamed. Give us a call. Get a professional to install it. Get a professional warranty, more importantly, even if you can install it. You know, instead of spending a couple hundred bucks at Lowe's or Home Depot or Walmart to get a thermostat spend a little bit more and have a pro install it, and you don't have to worry about it. It's parts and labor, and if we were to make a mistake, obviously we would fix that mistake. So again, a lot goes into it. It's not as simple as some folks may, uh, make it out to be. So overall, be careful, be safe, and of course we're here if you need us.
