Will a smart thermostat save me money on my heating bills?

 

 

With energy prices at an all-time high, and set to go even higher, everyone is looking for ways to cut their energy bills. With the price of gas soaring, there is a real need for people to explore ways to save on the cost of their heating.

 

While many will know that a new, energy-efficient boiler can help, there are still plenty who are not sure what a smart thermostat has to offer. That’s what we’re going to explore here as well as looking at if having one could cut your heating costs.

 

What are the benefits of a smart thermostat?

 

Simply put, a smart thermostat gives you a higher level of control and can help you to save money. While each of these will vary, depending upon the make and the model, they all offer the ultimate in control when it comes to your boiler, your heating, and your hot water.

 

Certainly, when looking at a smart thermostat alongside a standard system, there really is no comparison. Here’s a look at just some of the reasons why:

 

Automatic turn off

How many times have you left your home and left your heating on full blast? It’s easy to do, but unfortunately, it’s also expensive. A smart thermostat can turn your boiler off whenever you leave your home. Some systems will also detect how far away from home you are, via your smartphone, and make sure the heating is back on for when you return.

 

Heating of certain rooms/zones

You can connect your smart thermostat with smart thermostatic radiator valves. These will allow you to control the heating of each area separately. Each room can be set to a different temperature and your boiler will only kick in again when it needs to in order to maintain the temperatures.

 

They adjust to your home

A smart thermostat will learn about your home, your boiler, your heating habits and how to offer the most efficient heating. It will learn how long it takes your home to warm up and only switch on at the optimal time. This avoids heat being wasted when it simply isn’t needed.

And if you use a smart thermostat along with a TRV, then you’ll really start seeing the savings adding up!

 

Are smart thermostats expensive?

 

In truth, there is a wide range of smart thermostats to look at and choose from. However, none of these are overly expensive. Especially when you consider the benefits that they are likely to bring. Generally speaking, you will find that they cost anywhere between £150 and £220. Thermostat brands such as Hive start at £175 while others such as Nest could go up to £220.

Something to bear in mind is the cost of installing the smart thermostat - this could range between £30-£80 (based on 1-2 hour labour cost for an electrician).

 

Will a smart thermostat save me money?

 

The real answer is that it depends! It depends upon the system that you have in place right now and it depends on how you set your new system up. In theory, there is no reason that you shouldn’t save. In fact, Google’s Nest system states that customers save between 8.4% and 16.5% on their energy bills.

 

What if you don’t want to move over to a smart thermostat? Well, you can still save money on your heating bills. By ensuring that your boiler is operating efficiently and that your thermostat is lowered when appropriate, you will still see savings being made.