Want to buy a smart heating system but don’t know which one will be the best for you? With so many brands on offer, it’s not easy to determine the best smart thermostat for your home.
Different systems have different features but they will all allow you to check the temperature at a glance and set schedules to make your home more comfortable and reduce wasted heat while you are away.
Plus, you can always count on arriving in a comfortable home or waking up to a cozy bedroom.
On the other hand, there are more advanced functions, such as geolocation, which allows the heating to be automatically turned off when the last person leaves, or the detection of open windows to ensure that it only heats the house, not the garden.
If you use all the energy efficient features, you might even save on your bills.
However, not all smart heating systems are created equal, and in fact, technology and prices vary widely which can make things quite confusing.
We have tested most of the smart systems on the market and have done our best to explain how they work, what they do, how to install them, and what might be worth it.
Active heating Hive 2
The Hive Active heating system is a great upgrade for anyone who wants or needs to be able to control their heating remotely.
The addition of multi-zone support is also a good thing, and the ability to increase heat and hot water is a brilliant feature.
This second iteration of Hive is a huge step up from the solid (but somewhat boring) first-gen product.
The application and thermostat interfaces are intuitive and quick to use.
Obviously, there are some energy savings that Hive can help you achieve, and you can quickly recoup your expenses by being careful with your temperatures and your schedule.
And it’s easy to add the active beehive light, as well as smart sockets and switches.
Honeywell Evohome
Despite its price, EvoHome is a fantastic system for those who want to control the temperatures in different rooms, have control of their hot water and also those with underfloor heating.
It is particularly useful for large homes with few occupants, where you may only heat certain rooms at certain times.
It’s very easy to use, even for technophobes, and while scheduling can take some time initially, adjustments are quick and straightforward.
If money isn’t an issue, we can recommend Evohome to you. For just about everyone, a Hive or Nest model with silly TRVs is a more affordable option.
Nest Learning Thermostat (3rd generation)
Being reliable, well-designed, and easy to use, the Nest Thermostat is a great choice.
It doesn’t have the variety of accessories and system compatibility that some systems do, but you can buy separate smart TRVs to control radiators without changing the plumbing.
The Nest Protect smoke and carbon monoxide detector also works with the thermostat, just like the Nest Cam.
The third generation can also control hot water, which makes it even better, and the latest app update means your phone can tell when you’re out, so you don’t waste money on heat an empty house.
Starter kit for Tado V3 + smart thermostat
Determining the temperature of a house based on who is there makes perfect sense. In this area, Tado is the best smart thermostat because its presence detection simply tracks you and your smartphone via GPS and other location factors.
However, these features are now locked behind a paid subscription.
Being able to control the temperature (wherever you are) through an app on your phone is a perfect way to control your heating and energy costs.
New indoor and outdoor air comfort ratios and open window detection functions, along with the ability to control multiple zones using smart radiator valves, further reinforce the basic idea.
Tado doesn’t come cheap, but you should start saving on your heating bills in a few days, even with the subscription fee.
Drayton Wiser Multizone
Wiser is easy to install and use. You can install it in half an hour without needing to call an engineer. It doesn’t have a lot of advanced features but it’s a lot cheaper than some of its competition.
What it does well is allow you to control the temperature separately in different rooms, via smart radiator valves, which are also easy to install.
The app is also excellent, and a number of features have been added since its launch, showing that it is still in development.
Nest Thermostat E
The Nest E is a great smart thermostat that’s comfortably among the sleekest and most user-friendly on the market, but there’s not much reason to choose this model over the existing 3rd gen Nest, which has additional features for a similar price – excluding the potential cost of professional installation.
In the US, it’s a different story though – a bigger price difference makes the E an easy recommendation if you’re in the US, it offers all of the most important third-gen Nest features, plus improvements. design, for a significantly lower price. .
Netatmo smart thermostat
Netatmo’s thermostat is relatively basic, devoid of any kind of presence detection, but it works well and is one of the cheaper options.
The display allows you to set the temperature and nothing else, so you’ll need a compatible phone or tablet to get the most out of the system.
Buying Guide: Smart Home Heating
The best smart heating system for you depends on the type of home you own, how you use it, and how much you can spend to save in the long run.
There is a way to make every home more efficient, comfortable and waste less heat. But the best method for each house will be different.
The key question is, at what level do you need – or want – to make your heating smart.
Most of these systems – Hive, Nest, and Netatmo – simply place a smart thermostat in the most used room in the house or in the hallway, and they moderate the temperature of the whole house to match that room.
For smaller homes, where most of the rooms are used regularly, this is probably a cost effective way to get the results you want. You can always turn off unnecessary heaters to avoid unnecessary heating of rooms.
They also make planning easier and many of them have additional ‘smart’ features to make your heating more efficient and save you money.
For example, some can detect when no one is home and automatically turn off the heat, or do the same if a window is left ajar.
Honeywell Evohome, Tado, and Genius offer something better. One of the ways they do this is to replace the valves on your radiators with “smart” valves, although depending on the package you receive you may need to purchase them separately.
They allow you to divide your home into multiple zones and then offer smart heating in each zone, so that your guest bedroom is only heated when needed, the master bedroom is warm in the morning and at bedtime. , and the kitchen is hot at tea time (for example).
Tado can be smart radiator based or a combination of room thermostat and zone control via its smart radiator thermostats.
These smart RVPs can often be used independently of the thermostat, so you don’t have to buy the same brand and you can still use them with Nest, which currently doesn’t offer the valves. The only problem is that you will need two separate apps to control your heater.
Smart RVs are also a great option for people living in rental housing, as they don’t require a permanent installation. The Devolo system allows you to build smart devices as and when you need them.
Honeywell, Genius, and a few others can control more sophisticated heating systems (including underfloor heating and hot water tanks), but that extra control comes at a higher price.
Again: a modern, well-used small house (or apartment) is unlikely to need this level of sophistication, and a well-used large house may have enough connected areas to make the Nest or Honeywell model a good solution. .
Keep in mind that you’ll need one thermostat per zone, so while it’s cheaper than installing each radiator with a smart TRV of around 50 Eruos, it’s still relatively expensive.
If you have a boiler and central heating, chances are you can install one of the systems we offer.
The next question to ask yourself is, what additional features are important. There’s no point in going with a location-based service-based system like Tado if someone is usually at home.
Keep in mind that you may also want to supplement your central heating system with a separate portable system, which can give you a bit more manual control of where you heat. We also reviewed portable heaters, so check out our recommendations.
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