Everything you need to know about smart thermostats

Heating controls are an easy way to keep your home comfortably warm without wasting energy. Today’s high-tech options, like smart thermostats, make it even easier to reduce both your bills and your carbon footprint. Setting your thermostat to the lowest comfortable temperature—typically between 18°C and 21°C—helps you strike the perfect balance between staying cosy and saving energy.

How do smart thermostats work?

Smart thermostats offer advanced features that let you monitor and personalise your heating to match your routine, often sensing when you’re in or out of the house to adjust automatically. Many can be controlled through a smartphone app, giving you access to your heating on the go—no more worrying about whether you've left it on! You can go even further by syncing your thermostat and boiler with voice assistants like Alexa, making it a completely hands-free experience.

Room thermostats keep spaces from overheating by turning the heating on until the set temperature is reached, and then off until it drops. A programmable thermostat combines time and temperature control, allowing you to set different temperatures for different times of day and even control specific zones, like upstairs and downstairs.

Are smart thermostats worth it?

A smart thermostat could help make your home more energy efficient. By providing you with a quick, easy and convenient way of controlling your heating, these intelligent gadgets could help you find a temperature that’s right for you without using too much energy.

Here’s a list of potential advantages:

• Optimise your home's temperature for comfort and efficiency
• Save money on your energy bills
• Monitor and adjust your settings from anywhere
• Create personalised schedules for your heating and hot water
• Reduce your carbon footprint

A smart thermostat could be the perfect solution to finding the right balance between energy efficiency and comfort for your home.

Can a smart thermostat save me money?

Smart thermostats are a clever way to save on energy bills, with potential savings ranging from 8% to 31% depending on the brand and your habits. They will shine if your schedule varies, adjusting heating to avoid warming an empty home. If your routine is steady or you work from home, simple manual adjustments or a traditional thermostat with scheduling might do the trick.

For even bigger savings, why not pair your thermostat with home upgrades like improved insulation or a more efficient boiler?

Make the most of your smart thermostat with an efficient boiler

If you're looking to get a smart thermostat, you should also look to make sure that your boiler is in good condition. This is important since your smart thermostat will directly connect to your boiler. Most boilers last about 10-15 years and after this time, they become a lot less efficient.

A good way to make sure that your boiler stays in top condition is through regular servicing. It's worth investing in reliable boiler cover to protect you from unexpected costs— find out about the boiler cover we offer. 

Unsure about the efficiency of your boiler? Here are some tell-tale signs of it coming to the end of its life:

• Having to call out an engineer more than once a year
• Repair and parts are becoming more expensive
• Heating bills are increasing even if you haven't changed your lifestyle.

Looking for a boiler replacement?

Replacing your boiler may seem expensive at face value, but getting a new one would ensure you're making the most of your energy.

It's also worth exploring other electric heating options. You'd be surprised at the efficiency and costs of the new electric storage heaters or air source heat pumps, which could be a good alternative to your boiler if its come to the end of its life.