Thermostat for a heat pump or conventional heating system

A thermostat for controlling the operation of an air conditioning system and either a conventional heating system or a heat pump system for a space, the thermostat comprising:

• a first connector for connecting to an air conditioning system;
• a second connector for connecting to either a conventional heat system or a heat pump reversing valve;
• a selection means for selecting from at least a first conventional heating mode of operation and a second heat-pump mode of operation of the thermostat;
• the first mode of operation being configured to establish cooling by providing an on signal to only the first connector and to establish heating by providing an on signal to only the second connector;
• the second mode of operation being configured to establish cooling by providing both an on signal to the first connector and an on signal to the second connector, and to establish heating by providing an on signal to only the first connector and an off signal to the second connector;
• where the thermostat is configured to detect when the second connector is connected to a conventional heating system and the second heat-pump mode of operation has inappropriately been selected, in which mode cooling operation is established by an on signal to both the first and second connectors which causes the air conditioning system that is connected to the first connector and the conventional heating system that is connected to the second connector to be simultaneously operated, where the inappropriate selection is detected when during cooling operation the thermostat detects a predetermined increase in temperature in the space, and responsively discontinues cooling operation.

A thermostat for controlling the operation of an air conditioning system and either a conventional heating system or a heat pump system with back up electric heating for a space, the thermostat comprising:

• a first connector for connecting to an air conditioning system;
• a second connector for connecting to either a conventional heat system or a heat pump reversing valve;
• a third connector for connecting to a back up electric heating system;
• a selection means for selecting from at least a first mode of operation and a second mode of operation of the thermostat;
• the first mode of operation being configured to establish cooling by providing an on signal to the first connector and to establish heating by providing an on signal to the second connector;
• the second mode of operation being configured to establish cooling by providing an on signal to the first connector and an off signal to the second connector, and to establish a higher level of heating by providing an on signal to the first connector, an off signal to the second connector, and an on signal to the third connector;
• wherein the second connector is connected to a heat pump reversing valve that enables air conditioning operation when not energized, such that when the second mode of operation is selected and the higher level of heating operation is established, the heat pump operates in cooling mode simultaneous to operation of the back up electric heating;
• where if during the higher level of heating operation in the second mode the thermostat does not detect a predetermined increase in temperature in a given time, the thermostat responsively discontinues heating operation.