Heating your home this winter

We have a host of gadgets to help us save money on our heating. From heating that we can control remotely to others that detect when we’re in the house. These advancements in technology might not always fit in with the rustic feel of a house but they will save large amounts of money so are a valuable investment. There are several main competitors for ‘smart heating’, here’s a quick look at three of them.

Nest

Nest is probably the most aesthetically pleasing smart heating device available. It was developed by two previous Apple employees so it has that simple, clean look Apple are known for. Nest, like almost all smart heating systems is controllable from your phone so you can turn it on before you get in, however with Nest you shouldn’t even have to do that because Nest ‘learns’ when you’re at home. By ‘learning’ Nest means that the system finds out your pattern in roughly a two week time period and bases its heating times on the data taken. It can also sense when you’re in the house with an inbuilt sensor so if it detects you coming home at six fifteen all week then it will learn to have the house warm for you. Or if you have a lie in on a Saturday it will turn on slightly later. This is a great function and makes the Nest a very hassle free system to use. Unfortunately Nest is unable to control multiple rooms (unless you buy multiple thermostats at £179 each) like many of the other smart heating systems. Nest costs £179 or £249 with installation. As a stand-alone system not included in a contract with a gas company it is a good price for such a great piece of kit. The stylish Nest system would be a lovely accompaniment to a modern extension fitted with well insulated bi-folding doors.

Heat Genius

Heat Genius is one of the more advanced smart heating systems. Its main advantage is that it can create different ‘zones’ that you can control via smartphone tablet or computer with support whenever you need it. The system relies on smart TRV’s (Thermostatic Radiator Valves), which are clipped onto each radiator and are able to adjust the heat as told by Heat Genius. This system also seems to cover the smaller issues concerning smart heating, such as what if the Wi-Fi fails? Almost all of these systems run on a home’s Wi-Fi and if the Wi-Fi was to fail then control of the heating would be at risk. Heat Genius has a manual override in case this happens. Heat Genius is a costly system at £799, however as well as getting advanced technology you are also getting a reliable support network who are happy to help you whenever you need it and fast to react if something goes wrong. This is a good product that will make a difference to how you heat your home.

Honeywell Evohome

Evohome’s main attraction is it’s easy to use, highly accurate control of individual radiators. Evohome can control zones and rooms to a high standard. The TRV’s are incredibly advanced and have a variety of their own settings which make controlling individual rooms even easier. Evohome is also the best system for controlling under floor heating. The system is perfect for large houses as Evohome massively increases broadband with a plug in black box; it provides some of the best connectivity out of all the smart heating systems. It’s also good for large houses where some of the rooms are not regularly used and radiators can be individually controlled using the wireless remote and also smartphones. Evohome is a powerful system but seems to be designed for larger homes and ease of use. So if you have a large house being made larger with an extension then this is the smart heating system for you. It would be particularly effective if creating a large sunroom using bi-folding doors as heating would be used far less in the summer. The base pack for Evohome costs £250 but then you need to buy the TVR’s which cost £50 each, this significantly increases the cost of running the system.

Multifold Bi-folding Doors

We provide a variety of bi-folding doors, perfect for adding that bit extra to an extension and keeping the heat in during the winter months.

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