Getting smart for better energy efficiency in the home
Despite a welcome fall in the cost of household energy, homeowners may still be worried about the current and future price of their energy bills. In fact, when questioned last year in a Resideo survey*, 43% said they may consider investing in the latest heating controls if it meant they could save in the long term.
In this current budget-pressed climate, solutions that help boost boiler efficiency and deliver increased energy saving solutions are important. As a fifth of those questioned* also said they would turn to a professional for advice, it leaves installers well placed to offer the latest advice on energy saving solutions.
Of course, there are some simple ways for homeowners to make savings that don’t require any potential upgrade work or upfront cost. For example, some homeowners tend to crank up the thermostat when the weather turns cold - believing it will heat their home more quickly. Advising them that this will be making the boiler work harder to reach a higher temperature and inadvertently burn through more fuel, could help stop unnecessary energy wastage.
However, the case remains that there may be many properties across the UK that have inefficient controls for their heating system. This means more energy could be being used than is needed.
A cost-effective solution could be an appropriately specified radiator valve thermostat and room thermostat to improve the overall running of the system. And there are many options that can be brought into play to improve efficiency across a range of budgets.
As our latest heating season campaign shows, even a small upgrade can have a significant impact. For instance, making the switch from a mechanical thermostat to a load compensating thermostat, such as the Honeywell Home DT4 Room Thermostat, could see savings of up to 10%** on energy bills.
But what if a customer wants to go ‘Smart’ with their energy management and efficiency? When it comes to smart heating controls, the term ‘smart thermostat’ incorporates several levels of functionality to suit customers' needs and the available budget.
Being able to monitor and adapt the room temperature and control heating from a phone or tablet, for instance, could tick the smart heating control needs of many customers. Indeed, BEAMA research shows that replacing manual radiator valves and a mechanical thermostat with thermostatic radiator valves and a modulating, OpenTherm thermostat solution - such as our Honeywell Home T6R – can enable significant annual energy cost savings of up to 31%**.
Set up and scheduling can be done at the thermostat or by using the Resideo App. This heating control can even link with a smartphone location to save energy when customers are away and then switch on the heating when they return.
Creating smart zoned heating
The latest smart thermostats can help simplify adding zoning to heating systems. For example, with an existing radiator system wireless electronic TRVs can be added - replacing mechanical TRVs without any major changes to the system plumbing.
New or refurbed underfloor heating systems can also be upgraded to full zoning control by adding a multizone controller and room thermostats in the zones; the ability to zone rooms at different temperatures can offer valuable energy efficiency and comfort.
As our daily routines become more diverse, with many of us working from home more frequently and children and teenagers returning from school and after school activities, it is important to make the most of opportunities to be more energy efficient and avoid always heating the whole house to the full comfort temperature.
For example, by being able to set or alter the temperature of an individual room from the control - or via the app on a smart device - means that the kitchen could be at 18 degrees while the lounge is at a slightly higher 20 or 21 degrees. In the same way we can keep the home office at the comfort temperature during 'office hours' and then heat up the rest of the house in the evening.
By using products such as the Honeywell Home evohome, the HR92 wireless electronic TRVs, and the new HCC100 underfloor heating controllers in combination with our new DT4 thermostats - shortlisted in the H&V News 2023 Domestic Heating Product of the Year category 1 - installers can provide their customers with zoning options for underfloor heating, radiators, or a combination of the two. And a home which has evohome with OpenTherm plus HR92 thermostatic radiator valves could enjoy energy bill savings of up to 32%** when compared to a home with a mechanical thermostat and manual radiator valves.
In addition, Resideo's smart technologies, such as evohome, are compatible with heat pumps as well as boilers meaning that zoned heating systems can be applied to a wider range of heating requirements.
*Source: Research carried out on behalf of Resideo by OnePoll in June 2022, surveying 1,000 homeowners living in the UK.
** Source BEAMA, based on test environment using a timeclock, Class I on/off room thermostat and manual radiator valves, in an end-terrace/semi-detached house. Upgrade from a mechanical thermostat to an OpenTherm (load compensating) thermostat. Average price for gas contracts of 8p p/kWh, as per Ofgem published data. Savings correct at date of publication https://www.beama.org.uk/resourceLibrary/winter-2022-23-fuel-bills-savings-using-heating-controls.html