Best Smart Thermostat Uk in 2024

Smart home is cool, right? more and more people in the UK are installing it, check these facts here, but what happens if you don’t know your nest from your Hive? Smart heating control is usually one of the first steps into a smart home people take. Do you know which thermostat you either want or need? Do you need a sender, power to your thermostat or what? But first, you need to know the best smart thermostat UK list

What is a smart thermostat and what does it do?

Ok, for the uninitiated in the world of smart tech, a brief explanation into the basics of smart heating controls.

A Smart thermostat is an I.O.T ( internet of things) device that you can control remotely with an app on your phone, So say for instance you get off work early in the middle of winter and you’re thin my house is going to be freezing when i get home, you can fire up your App and switch your heating on so your house will be toasty warm when you walk through the door.

The really cool ones even know when you’re coming home through a geo-fence and switch your heating on anyway!!

For a beginner guide to smart home systems check my post here

Ok, I’m in what is the best smart thermostat uk

There’s a couple of main players that you might of heard of, Nest and Hive. Honeywell who have made thermostats in various guises for ions have also brought out a smart model. Lets get into to features, benefits and shortcomings of each one.

Nest by Google

Nest brag that this thermostat ‘can’ save you 60% on your yeary heating bills. Pretty bold claims if you’re asking me, possibly if you just turned your heating on at the end of September and left it on till May then yes I suppose that 60% could be achievable.

This is probably my favourite of all the smart heating controls and why I’ve listed it first on my best smart thermostat uk list

I don’t know about 60% but using this “learning” thermostat you will defo save money, as it will ‘learn’ your heating preferences in the first week you’re using it and then uses this pattern going forward.

Features

• Self-learning: The Nest Learning Thermostat is perhaps best known for its ability to learn your heating and cooling preferences over time and create a personalised schedule to keep you comfortable while saving energy. It does this by observing your adjustments and routines, and then creating a program that meets your needs
• Home/Away Assist: This feature uses your phone’s location to automatically adjust the temperature when you’re home or away. This can help you save energy by preventing the heating or air conditioning from running when nobody’s home.
• Hot water control: Unlike many other smart thermostats, the Nest Learning Thermostat 3rd generation can also control your hot water heater. This means you can create a schedule for hot water, or turn it off remotely when you’re away from home.
• Farsight: Nest Learning Thermostat 3rd generation has a built-in Farsight feature that lights up the display as you approach, so you can easily see the temperature and adjust it if needed.
• Easy to use: The Nest Learning Thermostat is easy to install and use, even for those who are not tech-savvy. It has a clear and user-friendly interface, and it can be controlled remotely using the Nest app.

Price

£189

We Love ❤️

• Self Learning- no trying for hours to programme
• Heating Controls- easy way to turn down the water temp in summer
• ⭐️Super easy to fit and use

What we Hate 🤬

• Price. – not the cheapest
• No room sensor: This relies on the thermostat’s own temperature reading, which may not always reflect the temperature in other parts of your home, or you have to buy separate room sensors.
• Limited phone compatibility: Not compatible with all phone models, so check before you buy.

Verdict

Still my fav

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Hive Smart Thermostat

Hive say this thermostat can save you £200 a year, which depending on your house and usage I’d say that it is achievable.

the main feature I love about the Hive is the Geo-fencing, so say you rush out to work and leave your heating on, the Hive will send you a message telling you about the heating and giving you the option to turn it off. It can aslo tell when your coming home and make sure your house is nice and warm, although unless you work like 40 miles away and set the geo-locater according i doubt your house will be warm if you working 10 minutes drive away , if you get me., but i still love the idea of it. For that feature alone this makes it onto my best smart thermostat uk list.

Features

• Heating schedules – set up to six daily time slots
• Heating and Hot Water Boost – for up to six hours
• Automatic Frost Protection – helps prevent frozen pipes
• Geolocation – heating alerts when you leave or return home
• Holiday Mode – tell Hive your holiday dates and come back to a warm welcome
• Hive App: turn your heating on and off via the Hive app or with your voice

Price

£129

What we Love ❤️

1. Smart Scheduling & Geolocation: Create schedules and receive alerts if you forget to turn off the heating, promoting energy efficiency and peace of mind.
2. Multi-Zone Heating (with add-ons): Offers the ability to control temperature in different rooms for targeted heating and potentially significant energy savings (requires additional purchases).
3. Voice Control: Integrates with popular smart speakers for convenient hands-free control.

What We Hate 🤬

• Subscription for Advanced Features: Some key functionalities, like detailed energy reports and extended warranty, require a paid Hive Heating Plus subscription.
• Reliance on Hub (Some Models): Earlier Hive thermostat models rely on a separate hub for internet connection, adding an extra piece of equipment to set up.
• Limited Multi-Zone Control (Without Add-Ons): Without purchasing additional Hive smart radiator valves, the multi-zone functionality is unavailable, limiting its room-by-room temperature control capabilities.

Verdict

A definite contender, maybe more down to personal choice

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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tado° V3+ Smart Thermostat

The one differing feature of the Tado from the others is the amount of add-ons you can buy to customise your smart heating exactly how you like, the main one for me is the individual radiator controls. So you buy a smart radiator thermostatic controller, like the one below:

And you can control, programme and adjust each room totally separately from the others and places it on my best smart thermostat uk list, for instance, someones ill in bed and got the shivers, you can turn that room to 23 degrees, but you don’t want to be melting in the kitchen whilst you’re cooking your pie and mash so you simply turn that one down, totally love that, for me that could save you a fortune, although if you buy one for each radiator and you’ve got like 13 rads in you house at £75 a pop not many people are gonna have £975 to spend on room stats?????

Features

• Multi-Zone Heating: Control the temperature in different rooms of your home using smart radiator valves (often sold separately). This allows for targeted heating and potentially significant energy savings.
• Intelligent Geofencing: Automatically adjusts heating based on your phone’s location, saving energy when you’re away. It can also learn your routines over time.
• Open Window Detection: Identifies sudden drops in temperature that could indicate an open window and temporarily pauses heating to prevent wasted energy.
• Detailed Insights and Reports: Provides reports on your heating habits and energy consumption, helping you identify areas for improvement. (Some advanced reports may require a subscription).
• Voice Control Compatibility: Works with popular smart speakers like Alexa and Google Assistant for convenient hands-free control of your heating.

Price

£180

What We Love ❤️

• Multi-Zone Heating & Efficiency: Offers targeted heating in different rooms with compatible valves (often sold separately), potentially leading to significant energy savings.
• Intelligent Features: Learns your routines, utilizes geofencing for automatic adjustments, and detects open windows to optimize energy use.
• Detailed Insights & Voice Control: Provides reports on heating habits and energy consumption for better control, and integrates with smart speakers for hands-free operation.

What We Hate 🤬

• Higher Cost & Potential Add-ons: The base unit may be more expensive than some options, and achieving full multi-zone heating requires additional radiator valves, adding to the overall cost.
• Subscription for Advanced Insights: Detailed reports and some advanced features might require a separate tado° subscription.
• Installation Complexity (for some): Installation can be more complex compared to simpler thermostats, especially if you need to install multiple radiator valves.

Verdict

Love the customisation, hate the price of customisation!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Honeywell T6 Smart Thermostat:

The Honeywell smart thermostat makes it onto my best smart thermostat UK list purl;y for its simplicity and no fuss unit. For me it is definitely a no-frills, does what it says on the tin type of set-up. Yes you can control it with an app like the others, programme when it comes on and goes off but that’s about it. As you can see from my feature list, i could of even highlighted that is a nice black colour!!

Features

• Smart Scheduling: Create personalized schedules for heating and hot water to ensure your home is comfortable when you need it and energy-efficient when you’re away.
• Mobile App Control: Control your heating and hot water remotely from anywhere using the Honeywell Home app on your smartphone or tablet. This allows for adjustments on the go and additional convenience.
• Broad Compatibility: Works with most boiler systems, including combi boilers, OpenTherm technology, and heat pumps (check compatibility for your specific system). This makes it a versatile option for various heating setups.
• Voice Assistant Integration: Integrates with popular smart speakers like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, allowing for hands-free control of your heating with voice commands.
• Large Touchscreen Display: Features a user-friendly touchscreen display with clear visuals for easy temperature adjustments and viewing current settings. This provides a simple and intuitive user experience.

Price

£150. no add ons!!

What we Love ❤️

• Easy to Use & Affordable: Offers a user-friendly interface with a touchscreen display and mobile app control, making it accessible for users of all tech levels. It’s also generally priced competitively compared to other high-end thermostats.
• Broad Compatibility: Works with a wide variety of boiler systems, including combi boilers, OpenTherm technology, and heat pumps. This makes it a versatile option for many homes without requiring additional compatibility checks.
• Smart Features & Convenience: Provides smart scheduling for energy efficiency, remote control via the app for adjustments on the go, and integrates with voice assistants for hands-free control.

What we Hate 🤬

• Limited Multi-Zone Control: This doesn’t offer multi-zone heating capabilities, unlike some competitors. This means you cannot control the temperature in different rooms of your home independently.
• Subscription Might Be Needed (uncertain): While core features seem readily available, there may be a possibility of needing a subscription for advanced functionalities. It’s important to check with the manufacturer or retailer for clarification.
• Lacks Some Advanced Features: Compared to some high-end models, it might lack features like detailed energy reports or intelligent geofencing for automatic adjustments based on your location.

Verdict

Good no frills, but if we’re going smart, it needs to be smarter for me!

⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Conclusion

The question is do I need one? yes, you could jump up and down changing the temperature in your house, but why do that if you can get an app to do it? I’d have an app for everything if they existed!!

Well, if you’re reading this you like smart tech, so I’d say, yes you need one. It will save you money over time, and you can pay 3 figures for a non-smart 7-day programmable thermostat so it would serve you well to splash another £50 and be able to control your heating from your phone or cooler still shout orders at your smart speaker. If you just starting the world of smart this could be your first step in the arena of smart tech so take my advice and make the jump.

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