View the Teatime Talk – Smart Heating Controls for more information. 

Smart controls allow you to manage your heating remotely and often incorporate other advanced features such as a learning capability, automation and optimisation. This type of control can figure out when you need heat and how much of it you need and will control your system accordingly.

An advantage of remote access is that if you know you’ll be home late and your heating is set to come on at, for example, 5pm, you can communicate with your controller and tell the heating not to come on. Likewise, if you know that you’ll be home three hours early on a particular day, you can ensure that the house is warm when you arrive.

Whether a smart controller will save you money, and whether it is right for you, will depend on your lifestyle, how you currently control your heating and whether you prefer using an app to a traditional controller.

In addition to app/web control, smart devices can be configured to work with your favourite virtual assistant (Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Siri, etc). This enables you to control your systems by voice – “Alexa, turn the heating off’!

When is the smart thermostat a good move for you?

1. My heating needs are always changing

You are away on a regular basis, your schedules are irregular… In short, if a conventional solution does not offer you enough flexibility for optimal regulation of your heating.

2.  I want to keep careful track of my consumption

You have decided to reduce your energy bill by monitoring your day-to-day consumption.

3. I am a bit of a geek

You want to take full advantage of the possibilities of connected objects to improve your creature comforts at home.

Three reasons not to invest in a smart thermostat

The least expensive smart thermostats will set you back around €150 but the bill for the most sophisticated models can top €500. This is usually accompanied by installation costs.

Investing this kind of money may not be worthwhile if you identify with the following profiles:

1. I already have my heating regulation under control

You’re almost always at home, your schedules are generally regular or you are completely familiar with your habits… In short, you are managing perfectly well with a traditional thermostat and/or programmable valves. You have already fine tuned your settings and you’re in control of your energy consumption.

2. My installation is not compatible

For example, you use a stove that is not connected to a central heating system.

3. I am not tech savvy

You don’t have a smartphone, you’re allergic to technology and you don’t want to spend time learning to use a new system. You are wary of the potential use of your data, despite the manufacturers’ reassurances.

There are many different makes and models of smart controller available. A few of the more popular examples are shown below.