The KUFH series does require a thermostat to operate. Several thermostats are available for your heater. The factory-installed KFUH-2TS is a 2 stage thermostat. When you are using this thermostat with a single phase KFUH, a KFUH-2S1 2-stage control relay for single phase models is required. The KFUH-2S1 control relay is factory installed and is included with the KFUH-2TS thermostat.