Gas and Oil Home Heating Furnaces - Can I install 2 programable thermostats?

My parents would like me to install a programable thermostat for them (which I have done before). However, they have two thermostats in their home. One for cooling that's upstairs and one for heating that's downstairs. I haven't seen any thermostats on the shelf that address this, and the guy in the hardware store didn't know either.

So, is there any danger in installing two programable thermostats, so long as only one is on at a time?

Hi:DrBoo

Unless I am missing something here, I don't see any problem with the setup your intending to use. However, it must be used as you stated, one on at a time.

As long as there are no A/C wires downstairs and no heating wires upstairs. Just connect the thermostats as individuals and all should be fine.

Good Luck,
TomBartco
Natural Gas Energy Technician and Consultant.

I'm intrigued by the heating / cooling system in your parents home. Does it have two seperate systems for heating the downstairs and cooling the upstairs? If there is two seperate systems, then installing a heat only thermostat downstairs and a cool only thermostat upstairs would work fine. But if the heating / cooling system is a split or combined unit, then I don't see how this would work. Heat onlt thermostats that are programable are relatively easy to find, but cooling only ones are more difficult. You would probably have to purchase combined heat / cool units and wire only the heat side of the thermostat downstairs and wire only the cooling side of the thermostat upstairs. If you get a chance, post back the type of heating / cooling system that's in the house and why the thermostats are arranged in this manner.