TCP Smart Thermostatic Radiator Valve & Wireless Hub

Product Information

A more efficient feature of the Nest and Honeywell Evohome is that they can reduce how much gas the boiler uses – this is call load compensation. However both the boiler and control must speak the same ‘language’, called Opentherm. For compatible boilers and smart controls read our Guide to Opentherm compatible controls and boilers. Wireless TRVs

This is not intended to be a full statement of your rights under the Consumer Contracts Regulations. Full details of your rights are available from your Local Authority’s Trading Standards Office. How To Return A Product This is what I have in my house and most of my rooms are set to “4”, with some set to “3” if a particular room tends to get a little too hot. Unlike much of the tech we review, smart thermostats are one category of products that truly benefit from being tested all-year round. For this reason, our Home Technology Editor David Ludlow runs four systems in different locations on a permanent basis. This allows him to continue to compare the different smart systems as time goes by. Using a smart thermostat and TRVs in conjunction allows you to heat individual rooms based on your schedule. So for me, working from home, I warm my office during the day but leave all the rooms downstairs off, then switch off my office and warm the living area in the evening. Genius Hub goes further than the competition, thanks to its motion sensors. In the app, you can use the motion sensors to automatically set up a heating schedule via room occupancy (Footprint mode, which is free forever), or you can use the new Sense mode (subscription required) to set a schedule as standard; but you can also choose to use the motion sensor to only turn on the heat when there’s someone in the room. For example, you could set your living room to use the motion sensor during the day, so if you do have the day off work then your heating can be set to turn on automatically. That’s what we call smart.If you’re looking for a simple, smart upgrade to an existing dumb, wired thermostat, then this is a great choice. Is this a case where the system has to be secured so that it stays fully charged with water at a reliable pressure or no TRV (smart or otherwise) could possibly stay working? Or could a smart valve open up the radiator more than a mechanical TRV at those middle of the night times when “3” doesn’t produce the temperature it’s supposed to? Tado’s system is also super-flexible. With the launch of its smart radiator thermostats, the system can be as powerful as Evohome’s. However, Tado’s radiator valves aren’t quite as smart, and the app’s zone handling isn’t quite as easy to use as that of Honeywell. In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.

The boiler branded heating controls are quite expensive, although the Worcester Easy comes with upto 10 years of manufacturer’s guarantee when fitted with a compatible Worcester boiler Most of the big brand smart heating companies can work this way too. Tado and Genius valves are still usable even if you don’t have smart control over your boiler. You just need to synchronise your boiler schedule with your valves manually. The radiator is located next to the loft hatch, so hot air from the rest of the house would rise past the TRV and radiator, which resulted in the set temperature not working correctly. With a digitally controlled TRV, we can now add a temperature offset to prevent the valve and radiator and change its settings based on the other Zigbee temperature sensor in the loft.A smart radiator valve can save you money because it allows you to control your house’s temperature room-by-room. If you have a room that gets particular hot (for example), you can install a smart valve and make it so that that specific radiator comes on less.

Some manufacturers have produced a wireless TRV that can be controlled and adjusted from a smart phone, however unlike smart TRVs they do not communicate with the thermostat to bring the boiler on and off. The thermostat will have to be on anyway and the only real benefit is that you do not have to physically adjust the TRVs, they can be done from your phone. The products below are only wireless TRVs. The Tado TRVs can work in the same way. Smart TRVs In my experience, in a largish 16th Century stone-built house, the positioning and orientation of the base unit was critical. Move the base unit just a centimetre or two and one or more radiator fell off the system! I started this post expecting to find some low-cost options that may be different from the well-known brand names. I was mostly wrong. Evohome continues to be a powerful multi-room system, ideal for larger homes featuring a range of heating sources. If you’ve been looking for a seamless way to potentially cut the costs in your home, you may want to consider upgrading to a smart thermostat.

Remote Delivery

In the past, we have used a basic manual-controlled TRV on the loft radiator, which runs from our gas-fired central heating system with the TR set to turn off once the temperature reaches a set point. The ability to smartly control the valves. But as we’ve seen, the current integration options are poor. If I could integrate smart valves into an ecobee thermostat, I think I’d run out and buy a full smart heating system. But right now that’s just not possible, so I don’t really see the benefit of having ‘smart’ radiator valves.

Most smart heating systems require an app to provide fancy programming options. That’s all well and good, but it can make things complicated. The Vestemi Radbot is different: this smart radiator valve learns how you use a room automatically via its sensors, and then controls your heating automatically. Don't rely on the displayed temperature on valve heads. In most cases it is necessary to adjust the valves so that the displayed temperature setting actually matches the room temperature. Unfortunately this can be a trial-and-error process. The second option is easiest, but it might not stay as up to date as the first option (i.e. whose to say that Worcester Bosch will keep the system working nicely together in 5 or 10 years time?).

Following on from my smart electric radiator post, this post covers smart programmable radiator valves. Most press coverage and advertising focus on smart thermostats, which allow you to control your boiler via an app and, in some cases, set up various automation. Quite frequently, this coverage makes grand claims about how you will save money on heating. In my opinion, all that a smart thermostat does is provide a convenient control for your heating. If you were frugal with heating in the first place, I doubt you would see a significant difference. require a combined programmer and thermostat with an ‘advanced’ energy saving feature. Namely: weather compensation, load compensation or smart controls that combine automation and optimisation features. (Or you can fit a flue gas recovery unit.) New installations of a heat only or system boiler: