We Are A Smart Thermostat Installer. We Can Help You Get Better System Controls In Your Home
Smart Thermostat Installer In North London
As a smart thermostat installer ASP Plumbing and Heating have a wealth of knowledge on fitting and setting up this type of technology. On this page we share answers to typical questions from our customers and, product details to help you make the right choices for your home.
Smart thermostats are clever technology that allows you to remotely control your home’s temperature via a tablet, smartphone or desktop for greater control over your central heating. You don’t even have to be home! Furthermore, installing a smart thermostat can save you money on your heating bills by using advanced methods of heating modulation and allowing you to use less energy. The smart thermostat is designed not only to make your life easier, help you save money, and lower your energy consumption, but its economical way of heating your home helps the planet too.
What are smart heating controls?
Smart heating controls and thermostats are devices that work alongside your boiler to allow for remote heating control, room by room temperature control and fine-tuned heating and hot water schedules. Certain thermostats, such as Tado’s Smart Thermostats (see below), have built-in learning capabilities and can adapt to your heating schedule habits, automating your schedule without you having to lift a finger.
How do they work?
Smart thermostats work in a very similar way to regular thermostats. While a standard digital or analogue thermostat allows the user to control the room temperature via a dial or a control panel, a smart thermostat allows for temperature changes via a smartphone, tablet or voice activated hub, such as an Amazon Echo or Google Home device.
A standard smart thermostat typically relies on three components: the thermostat, the receiver, and the smart device (phone, tablet etc). When the thermostat is turned on — either remotely or directly — it signals back to the receiver which tells the boiler to ignite and circulate heat to the radiators. Most smart thermostats can be controlled directly without the need for an app, but this negates a lot of the benefits. Some smart thermostats, such as Hive (see below), also rely on a small hub that plugs directly into your wireless router.
Our Method
At ASP Plumbing and Heating Services we take care of the entire job, from purchasing and supplying the materials right through to setting up your new smart heating and hot water schedules. As a smart thermostat installer we will set up your new equipment, connecting it to your Wi-Fi and the relevant smartphone app. We make sure that our customers are 100% satisfied and know exactly how to use their new devices before we leave a job.
Did you know that ASP Plumbing & Heating Services are registered Nest Pro installers? This means that we are qualified to install Nest smart thermostats, as well as Nest’s other products such as smoke alarms and security cameras.
If you need a smart thermostat installer in London, just give us a call, or fill out the contact form and we’ll get back to you as quick as we can. If you require a free quotation or would like to discuss a smart thermostat installation, please don’t hesitate to call on 020 3858 0277.
As A Smart Thermostat Installer We Are Often Asked “What can smart thermostat controls do?”
The most notable and well-known feature of all smart thermostats is the ability to change your heating using your phone. This can be useful in many situations and is perfect for warming up your home on the way back from work or maintaining the perfect ambiance for a lazy day on the sofa. However, smart thermostats and heating controls are capable of so much more and include many features that tend to be overlooked by the user. Below we have outlined some of the key features of smart heating controls:
Geofencing
Geofencing uses your smartphones location to detect when you are home or out and about. It essentially sets a virtual boundary, or ‘fence’, around your home. When you enter or leave the boundary your smartphone will trigger a response from your smart thermostat, allowing it to regulate the temperature accordingly. This is a great feature for people who don’t follow a typical day-to-day schedule, or for anyone that has forgotten to turn off their heating after they’ve left the house. Geofencing is a feature of many smart devices and not just limited to smart thermostats. Many smart hubs incorporate geofencing technology and it can be used to control all smart devices throughout your home.
Smart thermostats that enable the use of geofencing include Tado, Nest, Honeywell Lyric and Heatmiser Neo (see below). Geofencing is one of the key elements of Tado’s “Auto-Assist” skill, an all-round heating control feature which can detect whether you are at home, if you will return soon, and even if you have left a window open and adjust your temperature controls automatically – keeping costs down without you having to lift a finger.
Individual room control
The pinnacle of smart heating control is the ability to control every room individually. This can allow for huge savings on energy bills by only heating the rooms that you actually use. For instance, bedroom heating could be turned off until the evening, thus reducing your energy consumption.
Tado is a manufacturer that has the best quality and most reliable range of products when it comes to smart heating control. Their Auto-Assist Bundles come with a range of Smart Radiator Thermostats which allow you to control the heating of individual rooms all through a simple to use app, making your home more comfortable and avoiding wasting money on energy bills. We always recommend Tado to our clients as it is one of the most reliable and innovative systems on the market.
Voice activation
Very few thermostats have built in voice activation technology (apart from certain Honeywell models), but almost all can be linked to a voice activated smart home hub such as an Amazon Echo or Google Home device. Tado, Nest, Honeywell, and Hive systems work with most smart home hubs, but Nest systems work particularly well with Google Home as they are manufactured by the same company.
If you have Tado smart thermostatic radiator valves, the temperature of each individual room can be controlled with your voice. Just say something like ‘Alexa, make my bedroom 22 degrees’, and just like that, your heating system will begin heating up the chosen room. Controlling the temperature of your home has never been so easy!
OpenTherm technology
Before OpenTherm technology, thermostats would just act as an on/off switch, telling the boiler when to turn on and off in relation to the desired room temperature. Newer boilers and thermostats that support OpenTherm technology communicate with each other in a more efficient way. The thermostat will tell the boiler when to adjust the water temperature and when to use more or less gas as appropriate. This advanced method of modulation allows your heating system to control the temperature in your home more precisely and can lead to considerable savings in energy bills
For more info on OpenTherm boilers, please read the boiler installation section.
Motion sensing
Some smart thermostats, such as Nest, have a built-in motion sensor that they use alongside geofencing for a function called ‘Home/Away Assist’. This will turn down the heat accordingly if it detects that no one is home and vice versa. It is also used for activating the screen and displaying the current room temperature if someone walks past. This is usually an optional feature that can be turned on or off via the app.
Schedules and auto-scheduling
Nearly all smart heating controls allow you to set schedules to suit your workday.
One of Nest’s great features is auto-schedule. Once installed, Nest will log any changes you make during the first few days and begin to prepare a schedule for you. Initially every adjustment will be incorporated into your schedule, but over time, it will start to detect certain patterns and only incorporate major changes to your routine.
Nest is a learning smart heating control, which means it knows that your routine is different during the week to what it is at the weekend, and it will adjust to your schedule accordingly. It is currently one of the only smart thermostats on the market to incorporate this function.
Frost Protection
Frost protection is a very basic function that switches on your central heating for a few minutes should the room temperature fall below 5°C . This prevents pipes from freezing and bursting in the event of a cold snap. Nearly all smart thermostats now include this function.
How much does smart heating installation cost?
A simple nest installation will set you back around £300, whereas something more involved like a Honeywell EvoHome installation can vary greatly depending on the number of radiators, user requirements etc. and will be priced accordingly. We offer a free quotation service for all smart heating installations.
What are the benefits of smart thermostat installation, and can it save me money?
The benefits of smart heating controls are clear – savings on your energy bills, making life easier and reducing your environmental impact due to smarter energy usage. The type of thermostat you go for will have an impact on how much you save. Thermostats with geofencing, OpenTherm technology, or individual room control will run your heating more efficiently and precisely, allowing for greater savings. However, smart thermostats are not a magic solution, and the type of boiler you have and how well your home is insulated will also have a great impact on your energy usage. We can discuss your current setup with you before recommending a specific type of installation.
It must be noted that the technology one finds in smart heating systems means that some users will benefit more than others from the installation. Tech savvy users with a busy lifestyle will definitely benefit from the remote and/or automated controls of a smart heating system more so than users without a smartphone.
The short answer is yes, smart thermostats can save you up to 25% on your heating bills according to some figures. However, all of the above factors must be taken into account before installation. Please get in touch for a free consultation or quotation to discuss your smart heating requirements.
Types of smart thermostat controls
Smart heating controls typically consist of room thermostats, wireless TRVs (thermostatic radiator valves), hot water cylinder thermostats and user interface hubs.
Smart Thermostat Installer Recommendations
Smart thermostats are the basis of any smart heating system. At the very minimum they give you the ability to switch your heating on and off remotely. Below we have outlined some of the top brands, along with pros and cons for each, to make choosing the right brand easier for you.
Need better control over your home heating? Contact a smart thermostat installer
If you need a smart thermostat installer in London, just give us a call, or fill out the contact form and we’ll get back to you as quick as we can.