" Get smart about remodeling your home with green remodeling tips from bobvila.com. Brought to you by Rinnai tankless water heaters. The hot way to heat water. By replacing an older manual thermostat with a modern more accurate programmable one. You'll rid your house of dangerous mercury and save on energy cost. First, locate and turn off the emergency furnace switch. Next, remove the cover of the thermostat. Remove the screws that hold the thermostat to the base plate. The thermostat will lift off the base. Look at the thermostat wiring. There will be either two or four wires depending on whether the thermostat is controlling just the heat or heating and cooling. Unscrew each wire from the base plate. These"

" Inevitably, you'll have to drill new holes for the base of your new thermostat. Using the base plate of the new thermostat as a guide, carefully mark the locations for the new holes for the wall anchors. Pick a drill bit that's the same size as the wall anchors that come with the new thermostat, and then drill a hole for each one of the wall anchors, and then press or tap the new wall anchors into the holes. Align the base plate of the new thermostat over the wall anchors and secure it in place with the screws provided. Now, following the directions that came with the new thermostat. Connect the wires to the proper terminals. Depending on your new thermostat, insert the batteries. These batteries should be replaced once a year. Some thermostats don't have batteries but run off the low voltage power supplied by the furnace. Now, attach the new thermostat to the base. With the thermostat installed, you can now program your new thermostat to change to different temperatures throughout the day and into the night. This allows you to set the temperature lower when your family is typically out of house or sleep thus lowering your energy cost."