To provide an apparatus and a method for protecting a motor against overloading.

A motor 1 is provided with at least one of coil windings 2a, 2b, 2c, a power supply 10 for energizing the coil windings, and a control means 4 for controlling the power supplied to the coil windings. The control means 4 is provided with a thermal switching means, preferably bimetal switches 9a, 9b installed such that the bimetal switches are thermally connected with the coil windings. The thermal switching means is capable of swiftly and accurately detecting changes in the temperature of the coil windings. The thermal switching means is electrically insulated from the coil windings. With this method, the thermal switching means is placed so that the thermal switching means is thermally connected with at least one of the coil windings 2a, 2b, 2c of the motor 1 and furthermore the thermal switching means is insulated from all the coil winding of the motor, and thereby the motor is protected against thermal overloading.