Smart radiator thermostats and smart room stat

ChrisT

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Just wondering if anyone has real world experience of using Smart Radiator Stats such as Tado and if they have saved money on energy bills as a result. I ask on this forum as MG EV owners are early adopters and so may have experience of this. Thanks
 
I have Tado, and think it is absolutely brilliant.

Not had them long enough to assess savings, but the ability to turn individual radiators off at will, or control temperature, must be having a positive affect.

Love it!
 
I have Tado, and think it is absolutely brilliant.

Not had them long enough to assess savings, but the ability to turn individual radiators off at will, or control temperature, must be having a positive affect.

Love it!
Thanks for that info. Do you think your boiler is cutting out earlier than it would normally without the tado system? As its not heating up all the rooms?
 
Thanks for that info. Do you think your boiler is cutting out earlier than it would normally without the tado system? As its not heating up all the rooms?

Absolutely, yes.

Before, our heating was either 'on' or off. So it came on in the morning for a few hours, and again in the evening. We had TRVs on most radiators anyway, but they never worked very well.
We had a Honeywell wireless thermostat that lived in the living room, so the bedrooms got unnecessarily warm when we were all downstairs.

Now, different rooms are heated at different times according to how we are using them.
Working from home plays a big part, as when I'm sat working at a desk, only that room is heated, because it is easy to automate it to facilitate that.

I got to hear about Tado on Fully Charged, and saw it on an Amazon deal of the day.

I paid £135 for the wireless thermostat starter kit (receiver, Internet bridge, thermostat and stand), and £45 each for my first two radiator stats. Plus I sold the Honeywell for £60 on eBay.

Fitting it was a doddle, Tado app walks you through the process tailored to your boiler.
I have mine linked to Alexa, so I simply tell her what I want if it differs from what I have programmed already, and am often asking her the temperature in a particular room, just because I can!

Happy days.
 
I have installed EvoHome by Honeywell. I have to say the comfort level is very noticeable, no more variation due to weather influences. We have an opentherm interface that controls the burner modulation, that’s the key money saver with the Honeywell system I think. Assuming you have an opentherm compatible boiler that is.
 
Hi,

I tried the hive smart radiator valves as I already had trvs on most radiators. They didn't work at all well, on researching I found it's common. Fortunately I was able to return them.

One thing I found out was that the hive was just a new head and relied on the existing trv valve. It transpired that not all makes of valve were compatible, but no list of what was compatible was available.

I note that the Honeywell system lists a trv valve as an available option which is good news. That would ensure it all worked. Ok more work to fit but worthwhile.

Very interesting to hear about alternative options.
 
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Very interesting to hear about alternative options.

I can only speak of the Tado system as that is what I have.

Like other systems, the radiator stats fit to an existing TRV valve, but come with a bunch of adapters in order to be compatible with a wide range. I have two more valves yet to add, but bought the £6.99 TRV's from screwfix and will toss the 'control' bits and fit the tados directly.

The radiator stats are not silent, but not overly noisy either, producing a smooth whirring sound, typical of servo drives. Your brain soon learns to ignore them. They use 2 x AAA batteries (included).

The system does tend to vary the opening of the valves in one-third increments in the non-opentherm 'switched' mode that I am using it with.

The app is a no-frills affair that permits an awful lot of programmability. It is uncluttered and is easy to use.

I haven't had it long, but already I am benefiting (in my head at least), because I am actively restricting heat from areas that do not need it.

Feel free to ask any questions.

What boiler do you have that has opentherm modulation capability?

I have an Ideal Logic+ 30, which apparently does have opentherm capability but I'm not using it (yet!) because I did a straight swap-out for my old wireless thermostat.
 
I would feel reluctant to rely on AAA batteries for such a system. How does one know if they are flat?
Are there any similar systems that use mains power? Obviously there would need to be a mains socket nearby each radiator.
 
I tried Tado some years ago and Netatmo until recently. They both suffer from having short range to the thermostatic rad valves within a building having very thick stone walls and neither company was able to come up with a solution. Also, the Tado wall stat’s relay seems to latch in the on state when it’s battery gets low - causing the heating to just keep going!

I use Netatmo, but only as an intelligent thermostat - it’s just a shame that the construction of my house doesn’t allow greater advantage to be made of the tech.
 
I have the tado system too, no radiator vales though just standard trv, I have the tado thermostat in the coldest room , the kitchen then set each radiator in every other room to my preferred temperature.
Set the heating yo come on and off at various times and then app can also turn the heating on or off when your away from home.
Saved me a fortune , fantastic system highly recommended
 
On the battery, you get warned when the battery is running low, but it can also be mains wired
 
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