text: Novice question - moving a thermostat - Forum - Bob Vila
  Novice question - moving a thermostat
  06:37AM | 07/09/07
  1. Is there anything special I need to know when I call an electrician to move my thermostat from upstairs to downstairs?
  2. Someone told me to get a remote controlled thermostat to avoid the rewiring job. How do they work?
  3. If I decide to just move the old one, how much would it cost ballpark? I live in the New York City suburbs.
  08:35AM | 07/09/07
  The actual wiring involved in this is trivial -- probably a single cable with 3-6 small wires in it. I would never pay an electrician to do something so simple, especially at NYC prices!
  Most of the work will be in figuring out a wiring path (either from the old location to the new one, or direct from the furnace to the new location), getting the wires thru the walls, and repairing the plaster & wallpaper afterwards. I'd do the wiring myself, then spend money afterwards on an experienced plaster/paperhanger to make the walls look good.
  Because most of the work is NOT in the wiring, the cost will be very dependent on the other work involved. Most electricians won't give you an estimate until they look at the place, and even then the estimates will include a lot of slack to allow for possible complications. And in NYC, you will probably have to pay for the first visit & the estimate.
  I have never used a wireless remote thermostat, but to me it just seems like that many more things to go wrong! Though that may just be the electricians bias toward tried-and-true hard-wired connections.
  You might also want to check with a heating specialist -- changing the location of the thermostat can sometimes really mess up the heating system.