How to Choose the Best Smart Thermostat

If you’re unsure about whether your boiler is compatible with a smart thermostat, contact Lacey Plumbing & Heating today to see how we can help you with this. We can provide a hassle free installation with all the help you need to get your smart thermostat up and running. 

Key features of smart heating controls

Not all smart thermostats have the same features, so it’s important to find one that includes all of the smart heating controls you’re looking for. 

We’ve listed some of the most common features below:

Hot water control

Depending on which type of boiler is installed in your home, some smart heating controls allow you to control your hot water.

For example, if you’ve switched the water off for a weekend whilst you’ve been away, you can simply use the app on your phone or smart device to turn the water on again before you get home. Just like with a traditional hot water thermostat, you can program a schedule so you never have to suffer the pain of a cold shower because you failed to put the hot water on. 

However, if you have a combination boiler, or combi-boiler, in your home that provides instant hot water when you turn the tap on, you won’t require a thermostat that controls your water temperature. 

It’s important to note that hot water control functions don’t come on all thermostats as standard.

App control

Smart thermostats typically use a mobile app to control them, meaning that you have full control of your heating in the palm of your hand.

As long as you have access to the internet, you can raise or lower the temperature of your heating wherever you are. 

This makes life easier as temperatures can be changed in your home, even if you are away from home. It is also a great way to track your finances and bills, by easily lowering or turning off your heating as and when you please. 

It’s also a great feature for when you aren’t home but are returning soon. You could even set your heating to come on whilst you are abroad and have the house warm and cosy upon your arrival.

Multi-room thermostat control/Zonal heating

Multi-room thermostat controls are great for a multitude of reasons. The function allows you to change the temperature in different rooms of your home. 

This can be particularly advantageous if:

• You suffer from mobility issues;
• Have a large house with rooms that don’t need to be heated;
• If you are aiming to reduce your bills and lower your finances in general. 

To make use of this feature, you will have to spend a bit more as you will need a thermostat in each room that you want to control the temperature of. Each new thermostat you require will cost extra and they aren’t always cheap. 

Consider weighing the cost of the thermostats against any potential energy bill savings you might make by not heating parts of your home that don’t need heating. 

GPS and motion sensor control

Some smart thermostat features use geolocation tracking to tell you where you are in order to turn up or down your heating. It makes these calculations automatically and will adjust the temperature in your home to a setting that you have already pre-installed into the thermostat. 

Other features work a bit differently. Some smart thermostats allow you to set distances to determine when your heating turns on and off when you leave or return home. It also has a feature that alerts you if you happen to have left the heating on when you go out, or if it’s set lower than you’d like it to be. 

These can all be controlled easily through your phone or smart device. 

This feature is most useful for people who may be in and out of their homes at irregular times of the day and night, such as shift workers.

Weather responsive controls

One function that a lot of the smart heating control systems have is a weather-response function. 

Known as an ‘outdoor reset control’, it essentially reduces the size of your boiler by using a tiny computer chip to balance the water temperature with outdoor temperature. 

This type of control features a sensor on the north side of your home that works with another sensor mounted on the top of your boiler to control the temperature. 

More advanced systems use internal room sensors to provide even more information, detecting heat gains from solar sources, fireplaces and cooking. 

Modern smart heating controls operate using complex algorithms to achieve this. Some smart thermostats check the weather forecast to help you to utilise more of the natural heat sources. Most modern smart heating controls will adapt to the ambient temperature in your home in their own way to make use of natural heat. 

Benefits of smart heating controls

There are multiple benefits of installing and using a smart heating system:

• Easy to use through the use of a mobile or smart device.
  
• They are straightforward in use and highly convenient.
  
• You can set the thermostat so it knows when you’re away, pausing your normal schedules and resuming them when you return home.
• The weather responsive feature means heating can come on or turn off automatically.
• You can completely personalise your experience to suit you and your home by setting schedules. 

Disadvantages of smart heating controls

There are a few disadvantages that may be worth considering when purchasing a smart thermostat. 

Smart thermostats usually pay for themselves in about two years, but the initial cost can be up to four times the average price of a normal thermostat. How much you save on heating and cooling costs will largely depend on how often you’re in the home, what your ideal temperature is and what type of climate you happen to live in. 

Another off-putting factor may be how many instructions there are to follow during the installation and set up process. If you’re not too tech savvy, just get in touch and our heating engineers will fit your smart control.

Will a smart heating thermostat save me money?

A smart heating thermostat will save you money, if you use it in the right way. 

Those who use a traditional thermostat may leave their central heating on all day so their home is warm when they return, just in case the timer fails to work. This is not only expensive, but incredibly inefficient too. 

Smart heating systems allow you to set the temperature of your home well in advance, or your system may even work out when to turn itself on. Some smart thermostats may even take into account the external temperature, so you don’t have to worry about turning it on before you get home. 

Which smart heating thermostat is best?

There are a number of different options when it comes to finding the best smart thermostat. 

We’ve created a list below containing some of the best options currently on the market:

Bosch Easy Control

This is a smart control that is compatible with Worcester Bosch boilers. They come in black or white and when installed as part of a new installation, they attract the same guarantee as the boiler. 

For example, if you have an Easy control installed with a Worcester 8000 by a Worcester Accredited Partner, it will have a 12 year guarantee so will be replaced within that time period if something goes wrong. It is great value for money. 

EPH CP4i Smart Control

This smart thermostat is fairly new on the market but is quickly becoming an industry leader and very popular with homeowners. 

It is great for controlling one or multiple heating zones, up to 6 areas, and it boasts a simple control panel perfect for those who want less hassle but more control.

Nest Learning Thermostat

The Nest Learning Thermostat is not only great for your heating needs, but it is aesthetically pleasing too. 

It learns your routines and adjusts itself accordingly, meaning over time your heating system can actually adapt to suit your needs without you actually having to do anything. 

The Nest also has great location-based features that track where your phone is and will turn the heating on or off depending on your location. The built-in sensors enable it to detect when anyones at home, so you won’t be left in a freezing cold house. 

The main downside of the Nest Learning thermostat is that it doesn’t offer zonal control, so you won’t be able to change the temperature of separate rooms digitally. 

Tado Smart Thermostat

Tado’s thermostat is refined and almost completely compatible with all boilers on the market. It works with just about everything, from combi and conventional boilers to heated floors and hot water systems. 

It can even be installed by just about anyone, although we do always recommend contacting one of our specialists to help you if you’re unsure about anything. 

The thermostat can work out the layouts of your rooms, as well as the heat capacity of your home. This means that if you’re looking to get a certain temperature at a certain time, it’ll start to heat the room slowly to reach the target temperature by the time you get home.

Tado’s thermostat works in tandem with your phone to know when you’re in range of your home and will predict your movements upon your return to start heating up the house. 

It is also controlled by an app called Natch, which is very well laid out and functional, and is also compatible with all three smart assistants. 

Honeywell Evohome 

The Evohome gives you complete control over your home, with individual thermostats for each radiator enabling you to set an independent heating schedule for every room in your house. 

This is a great option if you live in a house where different members prefer different temperatures, or even if one room seems to be hotter or colder than the others. 

It even works with under floor heating, so if you have a large heating system, the Evohome gives you total control over it via one app. 

The design of the control panel and radiator aren’t the most eye-catching, coming in plastic white, and it is a bit pricier than other options. However, it is worth it for the granular control you get over your heating.