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One of the key considerations when selecting your heating system is one you don't normally see the answer to the controls on your wall. If you're having a boiler installed in Bristol, your plumber may be asking whether you need one or not there are simple programmers that might be enough, or do you want a smart thermostat. There are benefits to having a smart, rather than straightforward thermostat, but it all depends on your home and your lifestyle. Keep reading to find out what a smart thermostat can do, whether it can help you save energy, its limitations and if it's worth considering before your installer arrives.
What a Smart Thermostat Actually Does
A smart thermostat is a device that 'talks' to your home wifi and advises the boiler when to turn on and when to turn off. It doesn't just stick to a strict timetable in isolation; the device measures the temperature of the room, compares it with the one you desire, and adjusts the heating to match. Most models feature an app, allowing you to change the time schedule from the sofa, from the train or from a holiday cottage.
Many use local weather forecasts and your own habits to decide when to turn on the heating, so the house is at the correct temperature when you arrive home. This puts a responsive heating system in your home, based on real variables rather than per-set switches and sliders, and this flexible approach is often the leading reason that households spend their money on smart technology, especially when we have unusual working hours or a restless 'tennis-playing' family.
How It Differs From a Standard Programmer
A typical programmer is just on at set times, on at off at off, whatever the weather and whether the house is occupied or not. If your life or working schedule changes, you have to go back to the wall and change the setting manually. A smart thermostat is more like a 'thinking', rather than a traditional, 'programming' operator. It can see the living room warms up fast when the sun beams in through the south facing windows and turns the thermostat down.
Or it can detect a cold night, and set the heating to come on earlier. A number of models can also detect the number of people in the house by using the location from their phones, and turn the heating down as the house empties. Both can keep you comfortable, but the smart model takes out a lot of the everyday fiddling, and the risk of heating a vacant house for hours without realizing it is happening..
Where the Savings Come From
Home heating accounts for a quarter of the average indoor household energy bill, making heating control worth thinking about. By far the biggest saving they make is by ensuring that the boiler is switched off when it is not needed. Room by room scheduling, learning routines and remote control all help ensure that you are not heating the house when you are not there or leaving the boiler on when you are out all night.
Some products also give information on how long the heating is on for each day of the week to help you identify any habits that could be costed more. The government estimates figures in official advice, but as long as you're not starting from a blank slate you could see very little change, or you may see a marked reduction in your gas use through the winter if you normally have your heating on 24 hours. Take these published estimates as guide not gospel.
Why Results Differ From House to House
Bristol comes in - the city has such a wide variety of housing, from deep wall Victorian terraced houses to beamy, modern flats which are all insulated well and all of which will react differently to a smart control. To take one example, if your property is well insulated, then it will retain heat for much of the day so a thermostatically controlled boiler can be set to switch off between periods of time and will therefore save you money on actual run-time. Conversely, if you've got a draughty old property, then it will lose its heat far more quickly so it will tend to run a lot more regardless of how clever your control is.
The amount of time you spend at home and your household routine is a factor, too, since you might require your heating to come on at different times to the 8-6 worker, say. Time, size of boiler, loft insulation, radiator controls all impact on the efficiency of the new system but an experienced installer will be able to assess your overall situation and advise on the most appropriate smart control for you, as a very clever sensor can't compensate for a very draughty house.
Will It Work With Your Boiler?
The real stumbling block for many buyers is compatible. Most new boilers will accept a smart thermostat, but they won't all connect in the same way. Some boilers simply send a on/off signal, but more advanced models will use a more clever protocol known as Open Therm that allows the thermostat to tell the boiler to modulate (adjust how hard it works) rather than just switch on or off, which can keep the boiler running at lower temperatures for longer - a benefit to the boiler and potentially to the system's efficiency.
Renowned manufacturers such as Worcester Bosch and Vaillant also offer their own control systems that are designed to work in harmony with their own boilers. When fitting a new boiler, it's worthwhile to specify the control at the outset of the project, so the installer can wire and install the system all in one go, and there are no dodgy workarounds, and no rigmarole to complete in the boiler warranty form.
Checking Your Controls Before You Buy
Before you place an order, ask your installer which controls are compatible with the boiler they'll be installing. If the product takes a wire to the boiler, ask if you want a receiver positioned by it, and if it can go near the boiler without additional cables. Also find out if the chosen thermostat can schedule hot water in conjunction with the heating, if you have a cylinder, as most very inexpensive products only control the heating.
It's also worth confirming if the thermostat's app is popular and will be supported for years to come, as a disconnected thermostat with no way to operate it from your phone gets old fast. And ask where the thermostat should live it needs to sit in a room that closely mirrors the temperature in your main living room, away from sunlight, heat from the cooker and any drafts.
Installation and Everyday Use
Installing a smart thermostat with a new boiler is typically a quick job, and often takes only slightly longer than installing a boiler alone. Your engineer will install the receiver, set up your thermostat and connect it to your wifi while you and your family settle in. Once you're used to the heating schedule, operating your thermostat every day is straightforward.
You can set a weekday schedule, create a separate weekend schedule, and program the holiday mode and they can all be updated in a few seconds. Most of us will appreciate that the best features are often tiny a hour boost on the heating, a quick turn down from bed. Finally, where your wifi is good the thermostat may still work when the wifi drops out, so you are not left in the cold while you wait for the internet to come back on.
Who Should Fit It
Wiring a thermostat for a gas boiler is best left to professionals. While a cheap battery driven model might seem simple enough, the receiver is wired into the boiler's control system and something can go wrong resulting in a fault or the warranty being invalidated. Having it all installed by the same Gas Safe technician that fits your boiler ensures there is only one person to contact if something goes wrong.
It also makes it easy for the person who installs the boiler to adjust the boiler flow temperature to the needs of the room thermostat settings so that they complement each other. Ask for a quick demonstration before the person leaves, and store the instructions away safely, so that if you do need to change something you can. A smooth first week with the app will prevent you becoming frustrated, and enable you to enjoy the benefits for longer.
When a Smart Thermostat May Not Be Worth It
If you live alone and are home at set times and you have a decent programmer then the payback period for a smart control could be many years, and some consumers may not like the additional cost or features. Rental properties can be sub-optimal, as the savings are lost if the tenant leaves. If you are not interested in using apps or engaged with technologies then you may find the premium features more of a distraction than a help.
'Poorly sized boiler' or a 'system with sludge, trapped air, unbalanced radiators' will not benefit from a smart thermostat and it is better to spend the money on the property and not the technology. There is a range of prices, from fairly modest to relatively high so it makes sense to weigh up the likely savings against the purchase price. For maximum benefit a simpler control, which can be used effectively is always better than a more expensive model that is often not fully used.
Making the Decision for Your Home
To decide, start with your lifestyle If you change your routine from day to day, travel a lot, or live with a number of people whose schedules change, having the flexibility a smart control provides can be worth it. If your daily routine is fairly predictable and you have a small house, a reliable programmable thermostat may be sufficient and asking your installer for two quotations would allow you to compare the price difference.
Think about how you feel about being able to control your heating from a phone and whether other people in your house will be using the app. Whichever route you take, choose a control appropriate for the size and type of boiler you have and have it installed properly. A small, well installed system will work much better than a sophisticated bit of kit with a naive installer or one that is left on its default settings.
