How You Can Control Your Heating with Your Phone

Introduction

Modern heating systems are getting smarter. And with cutting edge, connected solutions you can easily use your smartphone to make all manner of adjustments.

Whether you are lounging on the sofa or stuck on a packed train home from work, controlling your heating with your handset is straightforward. But with so many different systems available and various apps to consider, this market can be confusing. To help you get started, this guide will provide all the basic info you need.

It is worth remembering that although there are various costs involved in overhauling your heating to make it easier to manage, you should be able to save money in the long run. With remote control capabilities you can make your heating more efficient, reduce your energy supplier bills and do your bit for the environment.

1. What Equipment Do You Need?

At the heart of any smart heating system is the thermostat, of which there are several competing options available at the moment.

You can buy thermostats of various types, some of which are fully wireless and can be installed almost anywhere within your property. Many feature touch screen interfaces to streamline interactivity, and will feel familiar for regular smartphone users.

There are a number of established smart thermostat brands to consider, each of which has positive and negative attributes. Most of the bigger names offer dedicated smartphone apps for remote control which add even more variables into the mix.

The two most prominent names are Nest and Hive, but there are a lot of other rival systems, including thermostats and apps from Honeywell, Drayton and Tado.

Some kits will come with everything you need to get started, including temperature sensors that can divide your home into multiple zones and allow you to control individual radiators or heating elements. High end functionality usually comes at a price, but there are bargains to be found if you look carefully at what each system offers.

2. What Type of Heating Works Best?

Although smart thermostats can usually integrate with most setups, there are some heating systems that work better with this type of technology than others.

If you have recently invested in an underfloor heating system, making it controllable via your phone will be straightforward. You just need to check whether underfloor heating is compatible with a particular thermostat and app. Look for systems that support both hydronic and electric setups to avoid disappointment.

Older systems can be less compatible with contemporary control hardware and software, requiring a bit more work at the point of installation. And if you have any uncertainties about whether or not your heating will be suitable for an upgrade, getting expert advice is sensible.

3. How To Get Started

First you need to think about what you want to achieve with your heating overhaul. Do you simply want to be able to alter temperature settings remotely? Do you require a more in-depth setup that lets you control other aspects of your home? How will your ambitions fit in with your available budget for this project?

Next you need to consider the assets that are available to you at the moment. What type of heating system is installed at your property? How many thermostats do you have in place and where are they located? How many rooms do you want to heat and what area is to be covered by the system?

If you are starting with a blank slate, the world is your oyster. You could opt for a single zone underfloor heating solution in one part of the house, then rely on standard central heating for the rest of the property. You can also factor in the type of smart thermostat setup that will work best according to the parameters that are important to you.

If you are looking to augment an existing system, things become a little trickier. You will need to look at the type of setup you have, assess its various components and compare these to the minimum requirements and compatibility limitations of the smart tech services that will be controlling them. In some cases, minimal changes will be required. In others, a more invasive and disruptive level of adaptation will be necessary.

Do not forget to think about the age of the property, its structural layout and the rooms which should receive priority when changes are made to the heating. There is no point putting a single thermostat in the master bedroom if you are going to be spending most of your time in the living room, for example.

There are many minor decisions to make, but they can have a huge cumulative impact on the effectiveness of the heating system as a whole. So getting things right during the planning stages is vital. And again, working with professionals will make it easier to overcome any obstacles that you face.

4. What Are The Best Apps To Use?

The apps which allow you to control your heating remotely are typically designed and developed by the companies that make the smart thermostat hardware. This ensures that everything works seamlessly and gives users access to all of the features of a system while they are out and about.

The app offered by Nest, for example, comes with the ability to control up to 40 separate thermostats across two different premises. It can also stream footage and provide alerts from the firm’s own security camera range, monitor access points and do much more besides. The only downside is that it requires a lot of commitment to Nest-branded components.

Nest boasts a more hands-off approach to heating control, so even if you want to use the app to change settings from your smartphone, most of the time this might not be necessary. This is thanks to its learning algorithms, which keep tabs on your preferences and adapt over time so that it can pre-empt decisions before you make them. It sounds a little spooky, but the results are impressive.

The Total Connect Comfort app from Honeywell is similarly well equipped in terms of capabilities, and even offers voice control as a way of interacting with your heating. You can get real time data on temperatures, as well as live updates on weather conditions to help you make decisions on which settings will work best. Although in most cases you might be happy to let the app handle everything automatically.

The Hive app can be integrated with both heating and air conditioning, if you have it. And with geolocation technology, it can monitor your position and provide you with custom alerts depending on where you are. This means that you will never forget to turn up the temperature on your way home, or to turn it down when you head out for the day.

Hive also offers automated features, such as frost protection to stop your pipes from bursting in colder weather. And if you invest in smart lighting, you can turn lights on and off throughout your home from within the app, which is useful for security and energy efficiency alike.

Drayton’s Wiser app is a little less eye-catching than its competitors, but this does not detract from its versatility and practicality. With the multizone kit, it can be installed on most systems which rely on combi boilers to provide heat around the home. Reports of router issues do hamper its connectivity in some cases, but most customers should be happy with what it offers for the price.

Tado’s smart thermostat and app are not just user-friendly in their design, but also compatible with a range of heating systems, including hydronic and electric underfloor setups. This broad range of interoperability is not found everywhere and is to be applauded. While some may be a little put off by the minimalism of the hardware and software, it gets the job done and does so at a surprisingly low price point.

Climote is one of the few smart thermostats that has built-in mobile networking. This means that unlike its competitors, it does not rely on the internet for remote interactions and can instead be controlled via text message if your broadband is out of action for whatever reason. It does have a separate smartphone app for more in-depth access and monitoring, but its flexibility means that even people with older handsets can get in on the action.

There is a subscription fee to pay for using all of Climote’s features, which is common across a number of similar systems. You will need to include this in your cost calculations when selecting a smart heating service.

Genius is another broadly compatible app which works with boilers as well as wet underfloor heating. It promises to provide the same level of control no matter your heating setup. And unlike some of its rivals, it actively promotes the fact that people who have BlackBerry or Windows Phone-based handsets can control settings from within their device’s web browser. So it is not just aimed at anyone who has committed to Android or iOS.

With zone-based control capabilities and motion sensor integration options, Genius can turn temperatures up or down in different parts of the house as you move around it. It can even take the weather forecast into account when making these changes.

One thing to think about when choosing which system and app to use is the type of mobile platforms that are supported by a prospective solution. The majority of mainstream apps will be available on both Android and iOS devices, via the Google Play Store and App Store respectively.

Some companies have even developed apps for smart watches like the Apple Watch and Android Wear ranges. Nest goes further than most with its apps for smart TVs including Apple TV and Android TV. And of course the best apps will also have browser-based controls so that you can change settings from any PC, Mac or laptop with web access.

No two apps are alike and they are not all equal in terms of ease of use or functionality. This is why it pays to carry out research with care before you commit.

5. Summary

Heating which can be controlled with a smartphone has two central selling points; convenience and cost-effectiveness.

Convenience comes from being able to monitor the temperature of your home and make changes wherever you are. You can turn down the temperature if you are stuck at the office and will not be arriving home as early as expected. You can blast the heating if you are getting back sooner than anticipated. The choice is yours.

Cost-effectiveness comes from efficiency. You will not be wasting money by leaving your heating running when you are out of the house, or by heating rooms which are not in use. And because modern apps are so comprehensive in their capabilities, you will not have to haul yourself out of your seat to make these adjustments. So any upfront costs involved will be offset over time.

That is not to say that making your heating setup smarter is going to be a breeze. If you do not have a lot of experience in this area, or are uncertain whether your existing plumbing or underfloor setup will be compatible, there will be a lot of questions to answer.

Some systems claim that they are simple enough for anyone to install them. Others are so complex that professionals need to get involved in the setup process. Whether or not the thermostats are wireless will play a big part in this, as thermostats that need to be wired-in will outfox amateurs.

When it comes to the apps that let you control your heating from your phone, there are other points that determine quality. Some apps are well designed and fully featured, others are barebones and built to be functional rather than good-looking. Some will work on smartphones, watches and computers, others are limited to fewer devices.

Thankfully with the right hardware and expert assistance, you can achieve your heating goals and gain mobile control.