TCP Smart Thermostatic Radiator Valve & Wireless Hub

Product Information

Whilst some smart devices work ‘out the box’ as long as you have an Echo Dot, Google Nest speaker or Apple HomePod, some smart home enthusiasts rely on a proper smart home hub to manager their smart home. Samsung SmartThings used to be the most popular type of smart hub, and there are two main smart valves that work fine with this hub:

Although you can use a smart thermostat to control your home’s heating, a smart radiator valve allows you to operate the radiators separately. They are a great addition to any central heating system because they allow you to have complete control of any radiator via a smartphone application or even through voice commands and other smart devices. The target temperature can also be changed depending on the loft hatch being opened or closed, and when it is closed, we can set a lower target temperature as the loft is not being used at that time. If you want to force the valve to the fully open or closed position, you can use the "force" menu from Normal to Open or Close, and after several seconds the valve will start to move to the new position. Battery Life Update 28th October 2021 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. 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 TRVsSince launch, Tado has updated the apps and web interface to add a new heating scheduler, so you can choose the home temperature that you want hour by hour. There are also options for when you’re out – choose from maximum savings (which may mean you return to a colder home) or maximum comfort (you’ll spend more to keep your home warmer). The app is simple to use, making the Tado Smart Thermostat one of the easiest systems to program. This is the question I’ve been asking myself for a while, to be honest. My house only has TRVs and I certainly don’t feel the need to rush out and buy a bunch of smart radiator valves. If you’re looking for a simple, smart upgrade to an existing dumb, wired thermostat, then this is a great choice. It also means you can optimise your system to ensure you aren’t spending excess money heating rooms that don’t need heating. 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.

Nest has pre-programmed the Thermostat E with a schedule based on real data from existing Nest users. As you use the thermostat, it learns and updates your schedule. The third-party smart TRVs reviewed here all do much the same thing, it is the control thermostat that is the most important choice. The Honeywell EvoHome is suited for much larger properties. All six other thermostats are compatible with the vast majority of heating systems (old and new boilers) and will operate the boiler efficiently based on a learned pattern of when you need heat. 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. Also, I noticed that when the target temperature was reached, the valve didn't shut down, there are always a few degrees of overshoot. In addition to this, when the target temperature is lower than the actual temperature, the valves start opening before its temperature drops to the target. My solution for this is to have the set point a few degrees lower than the actual required temperature. Because it would be weird (especially explaining to my wife or guests) that they need to set the temperature to 18°C when they actually want 21°C. Therefor I do not use the temperature card as in the examples. I only play with the preset eco and comfort. A schedule is easy to set up in HA and with some buttons (also easy to set up) I can turn the heat on or off for my different TRV's (rooms).Scroll down to discover the very best smart thermostats we’ve reviewed or head to our other guides for more advice on which smart home products are worth adding to your home, including the best smart plugs, the best smart lighting and the best smart speakers. Best smart thermostats at a glance Scottish Highlands & Islands postcodes: AB, FK, HS, IV, KA, KW, PA, PH, ZE, LL58-LL78, IM, TR, PO30-41 Since most people around the world either have a Nest Learning Thermostat or an ecobee smart thermostat, but neither support smart radiator valves, it’s hard to recommend specific products to suit. Thankfully there are one or two good options for smart valves that can work standalone (i.e. without a smart thermostat) – although many are Europe or UK only. As a result, I’ll group my suggestions according to some example usecases: You Live In Europe And Have The Hive Active Thermostat