Does ‘Smart Controls’ Only Mean Convenient?

Is it time to reassess what we mean by ‘smart controls’? During recent months gas engineers, homeowners and government officials are considering taking a more realistic view of these heating controls; but why? Our blog is here to explain all and give our opinion.

Smart heating has engaged people in their heating and boiler usage more than ever before. Designed to avoid wasted energy, smart controls allow you access to your heating controls on-the-go by using the internet via a smartphone app or computer. These systems are pricey, though, costing between £149 to £250 for basic offers, or up to £600 or £700 for those overhauling their home with several different heating zones. Whether they’re worth the pricetag or not is down to each individual UK home. They are proven to save money on your energy bills, though. Each brand of smart heating control has a different way of saving you money. For instance, some will learn your routine and ensure your property is nice and warm when you get home, whereas others can track your location so they know when to switch the heating off and back on again.

While the demand for smart controls increases, many users are asking if they’re worth it after all. There is no dispute in the fact that they’ve improved people’s awareness of their carbon output and overall engagement with their heating systems, but is it time to focus our attention on different products like our thermostats? According to the Energy Saving Trust, every home and business in Great Britain will be offered smart meters for electricity and gas by the end of 2020.

The December 2016 consultation document from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy considers smart controls as smart thermostats. However, identifying the definition of smart controls is dividing opinion. Are they just ‘glorified room thermostats’ or are they vital to our home’s energy usage in this day in age?

Our lives are constantly on the go & being able to adjust our central heating system whilst out and about with our handheld devices is a great step in a new direction for homeowners. Not to mention how handy it is being able to enable touch-screen controls to alter our home’s heat before we step through the door.

But just how ‘smart’ is this? Surely a device which reports our boiler’s information such as boiler temperature, hot water temperature and the solar energy generation is a lot smarter. Christian Engelke of Viessmann UK also suggests receiving notifications when the next boiler service is due or when the boiler locks out due to a gas fault.

We agree that these are fantastic ideas, but homeowners want ease and simplicity. They want to be able to heat their homes with as little thought as possible – something current smart controls offer. We also think they just want information in bitesize amounts which is important to their lifestyle.
To us, that’s the temperature of their home, how much they’re spending on their energy and if their heating will be on when they get home. Leave the jargon to the engineers.

In conclusion, and in answer to our question – yes smart controls do mean convenient, but we think both aren’t mutually exclusive. Plus, it’s not necessarily a bad thing to be convenient. We’re fans of smart heating controls and encourage you to get smart too! It’s worth your time to shop around and find an innovative generation of smart thermostat control equipment that suits you, if you haven’t found one just yet – systems are being constantly developed with the latest technological advances and innovations so you may find one to suit your lifestyle soon.

If you want to get smart with smart controls in the new year, our trained operators are available to install your brand new system. We will arrange a time and date to suit you, and before leaving, we always ensure our clients are completely familiar with their new boiler and smart controls.

With decades of experience in the domestic and gas plumbing industry, as well as years of management experience, we run an efficient and friendly service that is completely ‘customer focused’.