When it comes to managing your home’s heating, making sure you’re using the right thermostat is vital for staying on top of the cold and keeping that energy bill as manageable as possible. That’s why it’s worth asking the question, does your home need an intelligent smart thermostat?
What is An Intelligent or Smart Thermostat?
The terms intelligent or smart (used interchangeably) thermostat describe a way of remotely controlling your home's heating system through your smartphone, tablet, computer, or voice assistant. Essentially, intelligent thermostats utilise your home’s internet to link up your boiler and even an underfloor heating system, allowing you to control and configure the heating environment in your home to best meet your needs.
Intelligent thermostats aren’t just dials for your heating either, they’re much more than that. Making use of advanced algorithms, sensors, and other features, they really earn the word “smart”. Smart thermostats are perfect for setting radiators around the home to turn on at different times, maximising the efficiency of your heating system. Say you wanted your underfloor heating in the bathroom to be on first thing in the morning when those tiles are at their most bitingly cold, that would be easy to set up. When it comes to really dialing in your home’s efficiency and convenience, smart thermostats are the way to go.
How Does an Intelligent Thermostat Work?
Essentially, smart thermostats are a deceptively simple concept. By linking your home’s heating system to your internet connection, you’re able to access all the intricacies of setting up your home’s temperature, central heating schedule, and a bunch of other features, no matter where you and your device are.
Not only this, but through algorithms, AI and machine learning, your smart thermostat can optimise efficiency, saving you money and making sure your home is toasty warm, exactly when you need it to be (and not wasting money when you don’t). It does this by working predictively to provide you with the best approach and schedule for your home and needs.
Is a Smart Thermostat Right for Your Home?
Gone are the days of having to tinker and play around with the confusing settings on your boiler. You won’t be worrying whether you set the heating to come on at the right time or temperature levels anymore. With energy prices skyrocketing in the UK, it’s vital that we’re making the absolute most of all potential conveniences and improving our home’s energy efficiency.
If you’re someone who’s ever been frustrated tinkering with the settings on your boiler, or if you just want maximum heating convenience whilst being “on the go”, your home needs an intelligent thermostat. Let’s face it, everyone wants to save on their heating bill this winter, so it goes without saying that if you’re wanting to cut those bills down, a smart thermostat may be the way to go.
The Pros of Intelligent Thermostats
There are a lot of obvious benefits to getting a smart thermostat installed in your home, and the only major con might be the cost, which has dropped substantially in recent years. In terms of savings and convenience, the benefits really speak for themselves. That’s not even mentioning how great smart thermostats can look. You probably never thought your heating control panel could be an attractive part of your décor, right?
Ease of Installation
You wouldn’t be remiss for worrying that the installation could be lengthy or messy, given the huge benefits, however, installation of smart thermostats can be extremely quick and easy. Many top models boast full compatibility with other smart systems, making installation fast and straightforward.
Complete User Friendliness
User convenience, intuitive design and complete user-friendliness make intelligent thermostats a solid way to go when it comes to making sure that your heating system is working for you this winter and throughout the year in general. The smart thermostat is particularly useful to someone with a busy working schedule or frequently on the go, someone who doesn't have time to dabble over a thermostat when they get back.
Powerful Features in a Convenient Package
It’s not just about how simple it is to set the heating at home. You can remotely program, manage and monitor your intelligent smart thermostat from anywhere on your mobile device connected to the internet so that it can calculate the perfect schedule and use of your heating system. That’s a powerful raft of features in a simple, accessible format that anyone can use.
- Predictive AI-powered algorithms to boost your home’s efficiency
- Smart learning technology creates a heating system that adapts to your needs
- Geolocation, helps your system adapt to local differences
- Multi-zone heating control across your home.
Save Money This Winter
One of the biggest features of the right intelligent thermostat is how much money it could stand to save you throughout the year, compared to traditional heating systems. With estimates of how much you could save wavering between 8% and 30%, according to a range of sources, the real factor is how much you’re using your smart thermostat. If you treat it like a traditional control system, you won’t reap the benefits, but if you use everything it has to offer, you can expect to make big savings. Simply making sure your heating isn’t on when nobody is home can be massively cost-saving, and that’s not even looking at all the scheduling options for making your home’s heating as efficient as possible.
Feeling Chilly? Tell Your Radiator to Turn On
The ultimate in convenience, no, don’t get up. Just tell your Alexa or Google Home device to turn the heating up in the room you’re in. Through integration with voice assistants and multi-zone features, you can literally instruct your central heating to just heat the one room you’re in. Compared to turning up the temperature of the entire house, this is going to be a big energy saver, as well as a time saver.
Thinking About Getting a Smart Thermostat?
In terms of pricing, there is a wide range of options out there, with many options sitting around the £100 mark, but powerful alternatives are available starting at around £75. Most offerings come with great guarantees, leaving you safe in the knowledge that your heating is in good hands no matter what happens. You can spend a lot more on your smart thermostat too, as with most things, but for most UK homes, that’s not really necessary. Many UK customers found that upgrading their heating system resulted in energy bill savings, as well as a more convenient, intuitive system, with many reviews attesting.
