These monitor a room’s temperature, and will only allow hot water into the radiator (i.e. only allow the radiator to ‘turn on’) if the ambient temperature is low enough. Related Reading: Ecobee’s Smart Thermostat Humidity Guide: All You Need To Know Can’t You Just Use TRVs (Thermostatic Radiator Valves)? As the name suggests, the thermostat learns how you like your home heated, using this information to create an automatic schedule for you. Not surprisingly, there’s an initial learning curve – in the first few weeks, the Nest may not work quite the way you want it to. Over time, however, it should prove more effective than a manually set schedule on rival thermostats. In addition, the thermostat uses presence detection to turn on and off automatically, depending on whether anyone is at home. What are smart radiator valves? Can they work with your current heating controls? How much are smart TRVs?

One thing that really sets the Evohome apart is how user-friendly it is. It’s a smart home thermostat for people who don’t like new and complicated technology – and that’s not us, yet we were still very impressed, which is saying something. If you have a regular schedule, you may well benefit from being able to program a heating schedule. Their Evohome smart TRV’s are used on individual radiators to allow zoning. Note that you will also need the Honeywell thermostat and boiler relay which doesn’t currently come bundled with this kit. Those who want to make a lifestyle change Smart heating empowers you to make changes, giving greater control and transparency on how you heat your home There’s no built-in geofencing, so you can’t turn off your heating automatically when you go out. Alternatively, you can use IFTTT to adjust your heating automatically. Using the Life360 service, for example, you can turn off your heating when you go out and turn it on when you return.Both Worcester and Vaillant offer their own smart TRVS that are only compatible with their products. Advantages

Some manufacturers have produced a wireless TRV that can be controlled and adjusted from a smart phone, however unlike smart TRVs they do not communicate with the thermostat to bring the boiler on and off. The thermostat will have to be on anyway and the only real benefit is that you do not have to physically adjust the TRVs, they can be done from your phone. The products below are only wireless TRVs. The Tado TRVs can work in the same way. Smart TRVsmust have ‘time and temperature controls’ namely a programmable room thermostat or a thermostat with separate programmer. You can still opt to install an advanced control. Existing boiler installations: Control valves remotely You don't have to go to each room to change the settings like traditional thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) Zoned Heating: Whilst central smart thermostats control the entire home’s heating, with the use of smart radiator valves, you can set temperatures for individual rooms. Since launch, Tado has updated the apps and web interface to add a new heating scheduler, so you can choose the home temperature that you want hour by hour. There are also options for when you’re out – choose from maximum savings (which may mean you return to a colder home) or maximum comfort (you’ll spend more to keep your home warmer). The app is simple to use, making the Tado Smart Thermostat one of the easiest systems to program. If you plan to fit smart radiator valves, you’ll need to ensure they are compatible with your existing heating system:

This best list covers everything from single thermostats to full-on multi-room systems with individual control. We’ve also included a wide range of brands such as Honeywell, Nest and Tado, to name a few. Hi Naomi, yes you understand all that correctly. Smart thermostats operate per zone, which in many houses is basically “the whole house”. You won’t get room-by-room control of them.

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The Honeywell Home evohome HR91 & HR92 Radiator Controllers, and the Drayton Wiser Radiator Thermostats, are compatible with most manufacturers of Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRV’s) with M30 x 1.5mm threaded thermostatic heads. If you do choose automatic control, there is open window detection. It can detect a drop in temperature below the threshold and turns off the heat for 15 minutes, or until the temperature rises again.

This connecting device plugs into your broadband modem and allows your smart heating appliances to be controlled by your smartphone app.For most people, yes. Smart radiator valves offer greater control and convenience, plus they can help you save money by reducing the amount of energy you use to heat your home. You can easily set up heating schedules. For example, the heating can be turned off in all the rooms but the office during the day, and then be turned on low in the bedrooms and higher in the living room during the evening. No company has as much experience in the heating arena as Honeywell, so it’s no surprise that its first smart product offering has been extremely comprehensive. Rather than replacing your basic smart thermostat, the Honeywell Evohome adds room-by-room control through smart TRVs, but also supports underfloor heating and even heat pumps.