White-Rodgers Home Thermostats Recalled Over Fire Risk

If you opted in to an energy demand reduction program that allows a power company to control your home's thermostat, you better check to see if it's been recalled.

White-Rodgers of St. Louis recalled almost 200,000 programmable thermostats sold through energy conservation programs nationwide and in Canada because the AA batteries that power its clock can leak and risk sparking a fire, said the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The company received three reports of minor property damage. What happens is the thermostats constantly charge the backup AA batteries, which can make them leak and short the circuit. So far, no one has been hurt, the CPSC said. More than 40 utility companies and various HVAC wholesalers sold the China-made thermostats to consumers from January 2005 through August 2010 for about $150 each. About 180,000 were sold in the U.S. and 8,300 in Canada, mostly in Ontario.