Does Smart Heating Save You Money?

For many individuals Smart Heating may be a phrase that they have heard of, but perhaps do not fully understand what it is and how it works. More importantly one of the questions that we’re often asked is whether Smart Heating can save you money in the long run.

What is Smart Heating?

Smart Heating is a term that encompasses a range of products that aim to improve the way the central heating system works in your home. The goal with Smart Heating is to enable the user to have much more flexibility in the way their central heating system works. With certain Smart Heating products such as Nest these systems also start to automatically learn about the heating patterns that you typically use in the home. Additionally, Smart Heating devices start to maintain the heat in the home to a certain temperature and switch on the system when you need it and when you are at home. Nest Thermostats can also detect when there is activity around the thermostat and adjust accordingly.

What are the Benefits of Smart Heating?

Some of the benefits of Smart Heating is that you can position the thermostat in the same location as your existing traditional thermostat. Alternatively you can arrange to have a wireless thermostat that can also provide you with information such as the room temperature when you walk by the thermostat. Another great feature is that Smart Heating system typically allows you to operate them with your mobile phone or tablet, so that you can make adjustments from not only the comfort of your sofa, but when you are away from your home. Take for example the situation where you have programmed the central heating system to come on in time for your return to work, but something important has come up and you know you’re going to be late home that evening.

How else can smart heating save me money?

With a traditional central heating system you’ll waste money on a central heating system that is on for no reason. With a Smart Central heating System, the device will detect that nobody is home and not switch on. However, so that you’ll not be cold when you return home, from your office desk you can tell your central heating system to switch on to coincide with your return time. This not only saves money, but adds a new level of flexibility. Although it is possible to turn your traditional central heating system on and off manually, and also whilst it is possible to programme these central heating systems to turn on at set times of the week, and weekend, these programmes can be quite rigid. Traditional heating systems will not adjust if you are not in the home at these set periods. This inflexibility is where Smart Heating can save you money because the central heating system will detect these anomalous changes to your schedule and adjust accordingly. Another area where Smart Heating comes into its own and can save you money is with room or area zoning. This effectively means setting different target temperatures in different rooms, and allows the central heating to heat rooms that are in use, and not waste energy heating rooms that nobody is in. This can be beneficial if you have a spare bedroom, or if you prefer to have the heat off completely in certain rooms or at certain times of the day. Typically, this can be done by adding additional thermostats or some systems may use Smart thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) to accomplish the same effect. For those looking to gain more flexibility with their central heating system then adding a Smart Central Heating system would give the user a lot more control over the heating in their home. In addition to central heating, some systems such as Nest also allow you to combine security / CCTV systems and indoor cams alongside the Smart Central Heating system giving an individual full control over some of the most important devices in the home.

What other factors determine savings on ones heating bills?

Whether a Smart Central Heating system can save you money depends on a few factors. Firstly, there is the initial outlay for the Smart Central Heating thermostat and installation which can be quite costly. However, sources claim that in some cases it is possible to save around 25% on your heating bills by switching to a Smart System. This is especially true if you are guilty of just letting your traditional central heating system run without adjustment. Over a few years you could then start saving money long term, once the initial outlay has been recouped. For those that need to replace elements of the heating system then upgrading to a Smart System may be even more cost effective too. Smart Heating can not only add flexibility to your central heating system but can also save you money. This technology has been around for a few years now and has proven to work well and be effective in the home. View our Smart Heating Guide