After finally finding a perfect thermostat that fits your needs the best, the one that will provide you with the most comfort and help to save some money on the bills, but something is still wrong. The bills are too high. Someone has tampered with your thermostat. This scenario often happens to people with little children, public facilities or to the landlords who are renting their apartments or even if you are sharing a living space with a careless person who plays with the thermostat.
By setting the thermostat on extreme values during the really hot or really cold days, you are making a big temperature difference between inside and the outside. The furnace or air-conditioning equipment has to work with more effort and they require more energy to reach those temperatures, due to the significant temperature loss. Also if you change the settings too many times during the day, eventually you can damage the thermostat. If you want to avoid those things, you need the thermostat lock box.
The thermostat lock box is exactly what the name says; it is a box with a lock and a key. This box will keep your desired temperature settings on your thermostat away from noisy fingers who would like to change it. There are three types of thermostat boxes; some newer types of thermostats have a virtual thermostat lock, usually with a 4-digit PIN code, but also they will cost more money.
Another type of thermostat lock boxes is made from metal and they are the most durable one, but they are not much in use because of their impracticality. The third kind is made from plastic and they are the most in use. They are made from transparent hard plastic which is, besides modern look, very practical because you can always see your thermostat. They are pretty durable and resistant to scratches and damages and on top of that, they are not expensive.
This article will present you top and most popular 5 plastic thermostat covers available on the market.
5 Most Popular Thermostat Lock Boxes
Honeywell CG511A1000 Medium Thermostat Guard
This is a medium-sized thermostat cover box. It is made from transparent plastic resistant to UV radiations and chemicals so you don’t have to worry that the cover will turn yellow or damage after a while. It comes with a universal key and heavy-duty lock. This lock box should fit almost all models of Honeywell thermostats but it can also fit the other common thermostat brands. Product dimensions are 6.5” width x 7.5” height x 2.93” depth, while interior dimensions are 6” width x 5” hight x 2.75” depth, and it can fit any thermostat of that size or smaller.
Installation is really simple. You can fix the back-plate of the cover to the wall with 4 screws and since it is open in the back, you do not have to remove your thermostat from the wall. It does not have hinges so when you unlock it, the plastic cover just falls off.
The lock is pretty sturdy and it will keep its duty to keep the wandering fingers out of the way, but it is not bulletproof. The plastic cover has no holes on it to prevent any attempt of tampering with the device inside, but if you notice the change in the accuracy of temperature detection, you can drill few small holes on the cover to enable air ventilation.
- Clear plastic cover
- Universal key and security lock
- Medium size
- Fits most thermostats 6” width x 5” hight x 2.75” depth or smaller
- You don’t have to remove thermostat from the wall to install it
Honeywell CG512A1009/C CG512A1009 Large Thermostat Guard
This is the large plastic thermostat cover that fits all Honeywell models, but also other models and brands of thermostats. It is made from durable clear plastic cover resistant to the yellowing caused by the UV light and some chemicals. It comes with a universal key and security lock. It does not have any holes or ventilations so the only way to break into to reach the thermostat is by breaking the lock. Since there are no holes or ventilation on the cover, you can notice an inaccuracy in temperature readings so you can drill the small holes on the cover, just like on the model above.
The dimensions of the product are 3.4” x 9.8” x 7.2”, but you must consider the fact that the internal dimensions are 1.5” to 2” smaller. The plastic is see-through and durable, but it is not resistant to violently attempts of breaking in. It does not have hinges so the same thing happens as to the previous model, the front cover falls down as soon as you unlock it.
The installation is pretty easy, you just have to drill some holes and attach the back of the lock box with provided screws to the wall. Then you place the front cover and lock the box.
- Large thermostat lock box
- Clear plastic resistant to corrosion and yellowing
- Security lock with universal key
- Fits most of the thermostat models
- Product dimensions are 4” x 9.8” x 7.2”
Emerson F29-0198 Universal Locking Thermostat Guard
The Emerson F29-0198 locking thermostat cover is made to fit most of the Emerson and White-Rodgers thermostats. This plastic thermostat cage is great to keep others from changing your temperature settings. The front cover is made from clear durable plastic, while the back part is white. It comes with security lock and universal factory key which cannot be duplicated, to get another one you have to order it directly from the factory.
Installation is simple and if you set it properly there is no way of getting near the thermostat once it is locked. It also does not require from you to remove the thermostat from the wall since it comes with a back-plate and you just attach the front case to it. Product dimensions are 9.75” x 6” x 3.75” but you have to keep on your mind that the inside dimensions are a couple of inches shorter than the outside dimensions. This product is a good quality thermostat box but still, you have to consider that it is still plastic and it plastic is breakable.
- Fits most Emerson and White-Rodgers thermostats
- Universal factory key that can’t be duplicated
- Clear durable plastic cover
- Simple installation
- Product dimensions are 9.75” x 6” x 3.75”
Honeywell CG510A Small Thermostat Guard
This is a small thermostat cover box made from clear plastic that is durable and resistant to corrosion and yellowing caused by the UV light. It fits these models of Honeywell thermostats: CT87 round model, RTH51000B and CT30, CT31, CT33 without the wall plate. Interior dimensions of the product are 4.5” x 4.5” x 1.5” so it also fits any device of that dimensions or smaller.
The compact design and see-through plastic case give the product a modern look that fits most of the styles, but before anything, it comes with the durable lock and universal key. The plastic lock box will keep others to make unwanted changes to the temperature, but also it will keep away any dust or dirt. It is a pretty durable lock box but still, it is made from plastic, it can easily be broken if more force is used to break through. This cover allows ventilation so it will not affect the accuracy of the temperature readings.
It is easy to instal, the back plate is attached to the wall with the screws provided without removing the thermostat and then you just attach the front cover and lock it. This is a good quality thermostat lock box for smaller devices and they don’t use a lot of space.
- Small thermostat lock box
- Transparent plastic cover, resistant to scratches and yellowing
- Universal key
- Fits devices of size 4.5” x 4.5” x 1.5” or smaller
- Fits following Honeywell products: CT87, CT30, CT31, CT33, RTH51000B
STATGUARDPLUS Thermostat Guard with Changeable Code Combination Lock
Statguard Plus thermostat cover is the first one on our list that does not require keys to open it. It is made from clear hard plastic, front and the back covers are connected with hinges and the cover comes with built in code combination lock. Not only that you don’t need to use keys, you can change the code if someone guesses your security code. Another big bonus is that you don’t need to worry about loosing the key.
It has attractive design and it is easy to instal, installation is intuitive but if some are not sure they can check up on the installation instructions. The screws and drywall anchors are provided with the product. The lock box fits any thermostat size up to 7.25” width x 4.74” height x 2.25” depth. The plastic cover is designed in a way to ensure air ventilation for the best temperature accuracy.
When you unlock the lock box you do not need to worry that the front cover will fall down because they are attached with hinges on the back plate. The only way to temper with this locking thermostat cover is by breaking it. It is easy to set up 3 digits code on the unlocking wheel, you just have to remember it.
- No keys needed
- Changeable 3 digits code combination lock
- Fits any thermostat up to 7.25” width x 4.74” height x 2.25” depth
- Clear hard plastic cover
- Hinges mechanism