Getting the Best From Your Heating with a Smart Home Automation System
The Basics of Smart Heating System and How It Works
A Smart heating system is a great way to save money on your heating bills and have more control over your home’s temperature. Here’s what you need to know about how they work.
Smart heating is controlled by a central thermostat that uses sensors to detect when the temperature in your home and adjust the heating accordingly. When this happens, the thermostat will automatically turn on the heating to bring the temperature back up to a comfortable level or switch it off when it reaches the required temperature.
You can also adjust your heating remotely using your smartphone or tablet. This is handy if you’ve forgotten to turn the heating on before you left for work or if you want to turn it off while you’re out and about.
The Benefits of Having Smart Heating Systems
There are many benefits to having a smart home heating system, including:
- Saving money on your heating bill
- Having more control over the temperature in your home
- Setting schedules so that the heating only comes on when you need it
- Avoiding any unexpected surprises with your energy bill
- Monitoring the household
- Switching on the heating if the temperature drops
Retrofitting Older Central heating Systems
Central Heating systems are expensive to purchase and have fitted, but they will last for many years with the right maintenance. Smart thermostats can also be retrofitted to older heating systems, so you don’t need to replace your entire system to enjoy the benefits of smart heating. Many older boilers will work with a smart thermostat, so it’s definitely worth checking before you make any decisions.
Heat Pumps
If you decide to upgrade to a new system, then you might want to consider heat pumps. These are becoming increasingly popular as they are much more efficient than traditional boilers and can help to reduce your carbon footprint. These work by extracting heat from the air or ground and using it to heat your home, meaning that they are much more environmentally friendly.
How to Save Money on your Energy Bills with a Smart Heating Controls
One of the great things about smart heating is that it can help you with energy saving on your heating bill.
Because they’re controlled by a central thermostat, they’re much more efficient than traditional heating systems and This means that you won’t have to waste any energy heating up your home when you don’t need to.
Setting Schedules
You can also save money by setting heating schedules. A heating schedule automatically turns on and off according to your plans, switching on the heating and hot water, underfloor heating etc. until they reach the desired temperature. For example, if you know that you’re going to be out of the house all day, you can set the thermostat to turn off the heating so that you save energy, not heating rooms while you’re away, and turn it off as you are heading home.
If you are running late, you can use your smartphone to access your smart controls, override the heating schedule and delay the heating coming on so you aren’t warming an empty house.
Smart Thermostats and How They Work
Smart thermostats are a new addition to many homes and businesses, but what are they and how do they work? A Smart thermostat is a device that can be controlled remotely via an app on your smart device or tablet. Some can also learn your preferences over time and adjust the temperature accordingly.
The Ultimate Smart Thermostat
Many other smart thermostats also come with smart features like holiday mode, which can save you money on your bill by automatically turning off the heat or air conditioning when you’re away from home.
In addition, the best smart thermostats come with sensors that can detect when someone is in the room and adjust the temperature accordingly. So whether you’re looking for energy savings or simply want more control over your home’s climate, a smart thermostat may be right for you.
Which Smart Thermostat?
Programmable thermostats have been around for many years, but there are now a wide range of different types of smart thermostats available on the market. So, how do you choose the best one for your home?
The Nest Learning Thermostat
The Nest Learning Thermostat is a smart room thermostat that learns your heating and cooling preferences and programs itself to save energy. The Nest thermostat includes features to help with energy savings, such as an auto-away function that turns off the heat or air conditioning when no one is home, and a Nest Leaf symbol that appears when you’ve saved energy. The smart thermostat also has a sleek, minimalistic design that makes it a stylish addition to any home. In addition to saving energy, the Nest Learning Thermostat can also help you save money on your heating and cooling bills.
Other Thermostats to Help Control Energy Use
There are a range of thermostats on the market including Hive, Netatmo and the Tado Smart Thermostat. The Hive thermostat mini is a more compact version of the original Hive thermostat and is designed to be used with the Hive app. The Netatmo smart thermostat is a battery-operated, wireless thermostat that can be controlled via the Netatmo app. The Tado Smart Thermostat is a thermostat that can be controlled via the Tado app and features geofencing technology that can turn off the heat or air conditioning when you leave your home. Check out the various features to see which is the best smart thermostat for your needs.
Smart Thermostatic Radiator Valves
Smart valves are becoming increasingly popular in homes around the world. Radiator valves are used to control the flow of hot water to your radiators, and they can be turned up or down to adjust the amount of heat that they give off.
What are Smart Radiator Valves?
Traditional radiator valves are operated manually, but valves on smart radiator thermostats use temperature sensors and can be controlled remotely via an app on your smartphone or tablet. This means that you can turn the heating on or off, and adjust the temperature, without having to get up from your sofa.
Smart radiator valves are a great way to save energy and money, as they allow you to control the heating in each room individually and mean you can set the hall at one temperature and the living room at another.
Heating Zones
If you have a large home, you may want to consider using heating zones to control your heating. Heating zones are areas of your home that are controlled by separate thermostats, so you can have the heating on in only certain rooms, or different temperatures in different zones.
This can be a great way to save energy, as you can heat the rooms that you are using and not the whole house. The best smart thermostats now come with zone control built in, so you can easily create zones in your home.
How to Get the Best out of your Smart Central Heating System
Here are some tips on how to get the most out of your smart heating system:
- Make sure that you have a separate thermostat that controls the temperature in each room of your home. In a multi-room system, the home’s heating can be set to the desired temperatures for different rooms and only heat the rooms that you’re using.
- If you have a central heating system, make sure that the thermostat is located in a room that doesn’t get too hot or too cold. This will help to ensure that the thermostat is reading the temperature accurately.
- If you have a boiler, make sure that it’s serviced regularly. A boiler that isn’t working efficiently will use more energy and cost you more money.
- If you have a smart thermostat, make sure to set schedules so that the heating only comes on when you need it. This will help you to save even more money on your energy bills.
- Make sure to keep your windows and doors closed when the heating is on. This will help you to avoid wasting any energy.
- If you have any questions about smart heating systems, make sure to ask a qualified professional. They will be able to help you get the most out of your system.
Professional Installation of Smart Heating
Should you install it yourself or get in the professionals?
If you’re not confident in your DIY skills, or if you want to be sure that your smart heating system is installed correctly, then it’s best to get a professional to do it for you. Professional installation companies will have the experience and expertise to ensure that your system is installed correctly and safely and very importantly that it is working to its optimum. Calibrating your system is important to make sure you are not using too much or too little energy and a professional can do this for you to make sure your home is as efficient as possible.
When it comes to something as important as your heating, you want to be sure that it’s done right, so you might want to get the professionals in. Contact us here at S.M.S for further information.
