Something that maybe the seasoned heating installers can shed some light on.
Ive been watching the development of various smart thermostat systems, Nest, Hive, Tado etc.. and people who go for them for the most part are very happy about their functionality and efficency.
However the one thing all these systems lack as far as i can tell, is temperature modulation in the same way a weather compensating system can - IE Vaillant VRC470.
So - in my case, as i have a VRC470f already - would moving to a smart thermostat actually be a step backwards in efficiency?
I am generally happy with the current setup, as are the cats who love to lie on the nicely warm radiators without them being massively hot. but apart from weather compensation, the controller is a bit basic in functionality, only having an on/off temperature target, so no early morning boost etc.
I know a smart thermostat will have the functionality i desire (and geek factor) - but will i be ultimately sacrificing efficency and perceived comfort provided by a temperature modulating system?
I have also just seen that Vaillant is releasing their own smart thermostat - the "vsmart" - Does anyone have any more info about it? - this might be the middle-ground answer to my geeky/smart itch.
Ive been watching the development of various smart thermostat systems, Nest, Hive, Tado etc.. and people who go for them for the most part are very happy about their functionality and efficency.
However the one thing all these systems lack as far as i can tell, is temperature modulation in the same way a weather compensating system can - IE Vaillant VRC470.
So - in my case, as i have a VRC470f already - would moving to a smart thermostat actually be a step backwards in efficiency?
I am generally happy with the current setup, as are the cats who love to lie on the nicely warm radiators without them being massively hot. but apart from weather compensation, the controller is a bit basic in functionality, only having an on/off temperature target, so no early morning boost etc.
I know a smart thermostat will have the functionality i desire (and geek factor) - but will i be ultimately sacrificing efficency and perceived comfort provided by a temperature modulating system?
I have also just seen that Vaillant is releasing their own smart thermostat - the "vsmart" - Does anyone have any more info about it? - this might be the middle-ground answer to my geeky/smart itch.