Lizzie Wilkinson, Head of Domestic Product Management at Ideal Heating, discusses how smart controls can be used to reduce costs and maximise the efficiency of a boiler.
The rising cost of living has affected all areas of life, not least, how much people are spending on heating their homes. This has led many to reassess their bills and look for ways to cut back. The boiler has a huge role to play in this and smart controls can be key to unlocking and maximising their efficiency.
Research carried out by the University of Salford found that controls enable users to save as much as 41% on their energy bills – and smart controls can help increase this saving.
As any installer will know, a crucial element to the job is ensuring customers feel satisfied with the installation experience and that they are armed with the knowledge they need to operate their heating system efficiently and effectively. Through smart controls, installers have a great opportunity to provide their customers with solutions that will ensure they are meeting heating needs and aren’t paying over the odds on their bills.
Taking control
Smart controls come with a wide range of features which help maximise the efforts homeowners are making to cut their energy consumption.
One of these key features is the ability to set multiple, easily adjustable heating periods. Long gone are the days when households would simply set the heating to come on for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening. Advances in thermostats mean they now offer ultimate lifestyle-led heating which can be varied throughout the day and from one day to the next.
Users whose controls feature internet connectivity and app-controlled heating can make further changes in real-time – including when they’re out and about.
Our newly completed range of Halo programmable room thermostats are compatible with our full range of Logic and Vogue boilers, whether combi, system or heat only. For customers with larger homes, 2-zone options are available. The 2-zone upgrade gives homeowners greater control and flexibility, for example upstairs and downstairs can be set on separate schedules.
Whether on a two zone or not, those who fit a Halo Combi Wi-Fi thermostat with our Logic MAX Combi boiler can even achieve an A+ energy efficiency rating.
Behind the scenes
While the addition of apps and Wi-Fi can help homeowners play a more active role in reducing waste, there a number of features which can work behind the scenes, unlocking further potential within the system to increase efficiency.
Our Halo Wi-Fi control uses the location of a user’s mobile phone to determine if members of the household are within a pre-set ‘home’ boundary and only heats the home when needed so end-users don’t find themselves heating an empty home. This is particularly handy for those days when users forget to change the settings, or plans change.
Another benefit of smart controls is that they can help to detect and identify any faults that might be limiting efficiency within the system. By notifying the homeowner, this reduces the amount of time a boiler may be working ineffectively.
A key feature which helps users save energy is internet connected weather compensation. By reacting to external temperature changes, the boiler is constantly adjusting the heating to ensure its operating as efficiently as possible.
Ticking all the boxes
There are a variety of smart controls on the market which are packed with features to help make heating the home an easy and straightforward process, as well as comply with regulation. For example, devices with enhanced load compensation are an easy way to meet the requirements of Boiler Plus when making a replacement install.
We’re committed to ticking all the boxes. Halo has specifically designed features to make life easier for both the installer and the user. For example, our Halo for combi boilers comes with a pre-wired smart interface enabling a simple plug, pair and play sequence without the hardwiring, and those for heat and system have only one wiring centre. Both options are aimed at making installation quick and easy – the combi version can even be set up in as little as four minutes.
Smart controls give installers a practical solution to helping homeowners overcome challenging economic times. But more than this, these features all double up to helping the UKs housing stock go greener as we move towards the government’s 2050 net zero target for greenhouse gas emissions.
Ensuring homeowners understand the key features behind smart controls will help give them peace of mind and better meet their own requirements.
