NATE-Certified · Family-Owned Since 1969
Upgrade to a smart thermostat and control your comfort from your phone, cut wasted run time, and keep every room closer to the temperature you set. Wally Falke’s installs and configures any major smart thermostat, from Nest and ecobee to the Honeywell ElitePRO. Our NATE-certified team handles the wiring (yes, even if your home has no C-wire), programs it for your exact system, and shows you how to use it before we leave.
A smart thermostat learns how your home heats and cools, adjusts itself when you’re away, and lets you control the temperature from your phone. ENERGY STAR estimates a certified smart thermostat saves the average home about 8% on heating and cooling, which is real money over a long Central Valley cooling season. But those savings only show up when the thermostat is compatible with your system and programmed right. Wally Falke’s confirms compatibility, handles the wiring, and configures it for your equipment.
A smart thermostat isn’t a must for every home, but it pays off fastest in a handful of situations. If any of these sound familiar, an upgrade is worth a look:
Heat pump & dual-fuel setup done right. A mis-wired smart thermostat can run your expensive backup heat when it shouldn’t. We configure staging and set the gas/heat-pump changeover so a dual-fuel system runs on the efficient mode.
Multi-stage and variable-speed systems. We wire and configure the thermostat for staging so you keep the efficiency your system was built for.
Room sensors placed and paired. For two-story homes, we add and position sensors so the rooms you actually use stay comfortable, not just the hallway.
Programmed and explained. We build your schedules, connect the app and your smart-home platform, and walk you through it before we leave.
There’s no single best smart thermostat because the right one depends on your system, your budget, and the features you’ll actually use. Wally Falke’s installs and services all the major brands, including Nest, ecobee, and Honeywell, and we’re happy to install a unit you already bought. Tell us what you have (or what you’re considering) and we’ll confirm it’s compatible before anything gets ordered or opened.
Nest is the hands-off auto-learner, ecobee’s remote room sensors are the fix for a hot upstairs, and the Honeywell ElitePRO is the pro-grade option with the big touchscreen plus air-quality and doorbell integration. We’ll help you match the one that fits your home.
When homeowners want next-level features and long-term reliability, Wally Falke’s most often recommends the Honeywell Home ElitePRO™ series. It’s built for professional installation rather than off-the-shelf DIY, and it does things consumer models don’t:
Want the full breakdown before you decide? Read our guide: Is the Honeywell ElitePRO right for your home?
Cost depends on the thermostat you choose and what your existing wiring supports, so the only accurate number comes from looking at your system. A straightforward swap on a system that already has the right wiring is a small job. It costs more if your home needs a C-wire run, or you’re adding room sensors or configuring a heat pump or dual-fuel system. We quote the full price up front, and the in-home consultation is free.
If a company quoted you a big “smart home” package you’re not sure about, we’ll give you a free second opinion.
You may also qualify for a PG&E rebate or demand-response incentive for a smart thermostat. Ask us about the current programs.
See our full Honeywell ElitePRO guide →
The industry's highest training standard, plus a C10 electrical license, so the wiring is done right the first time.
We recommend the smart thermostat that fits your system and how you actually live. Free second opinion, always.
Parts, labor, and workmanship are all covered. If it's not right, we will always make it right.
Three generations serving the Valley, with a 4.9-star rating from 1,400+ reviews.
A smart thermostat pays off more in the Central Valley than in much of the country, because our long cooling season and PG&E’s time-of-use rates mean the AC runs hard during the most expensive hours of the day. A few reasons the Valley is a good fit, and why the setup matters:
We’ve worked on Central Valley homes since 1969 from our shop in Turlock, so we set up your thermostat around how your home and system actually behave. From Turlock we serve Modesto, Merced, Manteca, Ceres, Oakdale, Ripon, Riverbank, Patterson, and Los Banos.
Yes. We regularly install thermostats homeowners bought themselves — a Nest, an ecobee, or another Wi-Fi model. We’ll confirm it’s compatible with your system first, handle the wiring and setup, and get it connected to your app. If it turns out the model won’t work with your equipment, we’ll tell you before we install it.
The best one is whichever is set up correctly for your system. Heat pumps and dual-fuel setups need the thermostat wired for auxiliary heat and programmed with the right changeover temperature, or they’ll run expensive backup heat when they don’t need to. We configure that for you; the Honeywell ElitePRO and higher-end ecobee and Nest models all handle heat pumps well when they’re set up by a pro.
Usually, yes, but it depends on your wiring and equipment. Older systems sometimes lack a C-wire or use staging that a basic thermostat can’t control. We check compatibility during the free consultation and tell you exactly what your system supports before you spend anything.
A straightforward smart thermostat swap usually takes about an hour. Running a new C-wire, adding room sensors, or configuring a heat pump or dual-fuel system takes longer. We’ll give you a clear timeline before we begin.
Most Wi-Fi smart thermostats need a common (C) wire for steady power, and many older Central Valley homes don’t have one. Homes built before about 2000 most often have only four thermostat wires and no C terminal, which is the most common reason a DIY smart thermostat won’t power on or keeps dropping its Wi-Fi. We run a C-wire or install the correct power adapter as part of the job, so it’s a non-issue when we do the install.
ENERGY STAR estimates a certified smart thermostat saves the average home about 8% on heating and cooling, roughly $50 a year, and often more over a long Central Valley cooling season. In PG&E territory you can save more by pre-cooling before the late-afternoon peak-rate window so the AC runs less when power is most expensive. The savings depend on how you use it: scheduling, away mode, and not overriding it constantly are what move the bill.
It depends on the thermostat you choose and what your wiring supports. A straightforward swap on a system that already has a C-wire is a quick, low-cost job. Running a new C-wire, adding room sensors, or configuring a heat pump or dual-fuel system adds time and materials. We quote the full price before we start, and the in-home consultation is free.
It can, when you add wireless room sensors. The sensors let the thermostat read temperature in the rooms you actually use, like an upstairs bedroom, instead of only the hallway where it’s mounted, and prioritize keeping those rooms comfortable. It’s one of the most useful upgrades for two-story Valley homes.
“We’ll Set Everything up for you. Call Now! (209) 632-7596“
—Wally
