Smart heating has been around a while now and is just one of the many areas where smart technology is trying to make our day by day lives easier. However, just like with any smart technology, there are some pros and cons to smart heating. So, if you are a little doubtful if smart heating is for you, then reading through this guide will help you make your choice and I have no central heating can i get a grant.
What is a smart thermostat?
Smart heating generally refers to a smart thermostat. A smart thermostat allows you to control your central heating via your smartphone, a tablet and even your desktop pc or laptop. It is a great way to have complete control over your home heating system while you are at work, out shopping or even in another country!
How does a smart thermostat work
Your smart thermostat will be connected to your boiler via your old thermostats wired connection whilst also connecting to your home’s Wi-Fi. This connection to the Wi-Fi is what allows you to control your smart meter from your companion app, all of which are different for each thermostat, so make sure you download the right one for whichever smart thermostat you decide is best.
Pros
Set up heating schedules
One of the biggest pros to a smart thermostat is that you can set up a heating schedule. A heating schedule allows you to spend some time initially setting up your schedule for how a normal week would go for you. This means that during winter you do not have to worry about coming home to a cold house with no heating as, if you’ve set up your schedule, your home will already be warming itself. It also means that during summer you can set your schedule different so that your heating is either never on or only comes on during the back end of summer when the evenings may start to get a little colder.
Saves energy
Probably the biggest pro to owning a smart meter is the amount of energy you will save over the year. The biggest saving can come after you have set up your heating schedule as your schedule will mean that your heating system is not on when it does not need to be. The fact that you can also access your heating system remotely through the companion app will mean that your heating will never be left on all day while you are not home. This will result in not using a huge amount of energy when there is no need to. These two factors are what are the major contributors to both saving energy and saving on your bills.
Smart learning
If you forget to set up your schedule or would rather use your smart thermostat like a traditional thermostat, this is not an issue either as your smart thermostat will begin to learn about your daily habits. This means that your device will learn when you are out your home at work, back from work and everything in between. This means that one morning you’ll find that your thermostat is on the temperature that you’d usually set it to, however, it’ll take a few days of you manually setting the temperature for your thermostat to learn about your habits.
Cons
Now while there are multiple pros to owning a smart thermostat there are also some cons that you should be aware of before deciding to make your purchase.
Not all boilers are compatible
One of the downsides to smart thermostats is that while they’re compatible with all types of boilers like combi boilers, system boilers and condensing boilers they aren’t compatible with every model of boiler. This means if you have an older model of boiler it may be incompatible with a smart thermostat. However, each smart thermostat manufacturer will generally have a list of compatible boilers on their website, so it is worth checking that before you purchase. You can also check out Boiler Central to find the best boiler that fits your smart thermostat and your budget.
Internet connection
While this is not a big con and is quite an obvious one, you can lose the ability to control your heating remotely if your homes Wi-Fi signal goes down. While this doesn’t mean that you lose your ability to control your heating or lose your heating all together it does mean that you can’t change your homes heating schedule or temperature on the go or from the companion app, which may be a big con if this was the main reason for you buying your brand new smart thermostat.
Can be quite expensive
Another drawback that may put you off buying a smart thermostat is the upfront cost. With a smart thermostat new boiler cost anywhere between £75 and £175, it is easy to see why someone could be put off by the price. However, there are a range of different smart thermostats available, so shopping around and making sure that it is the right one for both your boiler and your budget is a must.
Reading through this article will hopefully have given you an insight to if a smart thermostat is right for you and the pros and cons to having on in your home.