Timed TRVs

[wig]

Well I did wonder if it was a thing but apparently it is

https://www.screwfix.com/c/heating-plumbing/smart-trvs/cat831024

cheapest is £22

Does anyone here use them ?
or are you all either just letting the whole house heat up or running around turning all upstairs to frost during the day which is what I do.

 

[ericmark]

Yes I have 9, that is 5 of these

but bluetooth version, and 4 of these

and although the former only cost me £15 each and the latter £36.50 each I find the former in general better, I believe the best is this

the Drayton as it have algorithms to work out when to switch off, but as to if worth £44 each not so sure. So I will start with the Energenie which was the first ones I bought.

It took some setting up, as the TRV was fitted on the return, and as a result radiator got hot, then the valve closed causing it to over shoot, so the lock shield valve needed careful setting, but the display

makes it easy, if current over target close the lock shield a little, and if current under target open it a little, and once set they were spot on. However the anti hysteresis software was a little OTT so set to 20°C form 16°C it reaches 18°C fast but last 2°C could take 2 hours, so I would cheat and set to 22°C for 1 hour then back to 20°C and then spot on. But there was very little manual control, you had to use phone, tablet, or PC and you needed the hub, another £48.

The eQ-3 much cheaper the bluetooth does make setting easier, but unless two TRV's in the same room not really required, as everything can be manually set, I have seen manual version down to £10 each, it has window open detect which is not on the more expensive energenie model and I find I don't use the phone once set, the right button swaps from eco to comfort and back so I just press the button if I use room early.

The bluetooth version will only link to one phone, so wife controls 2 and I control 3.

However I find the house does not cool that fast, so although set to 16°C it never cools that much, and of course the boiler must be running for room to heat up, although the energenie using IFTTT will geofence, I use the Nest Gen 3 wall thermostat to do that, in theory I should be able to control with my Nest Mini, but the Nest Mini is like a mischievous little boy, and does its own think, so will not trust with heating.

 

[ericmark]

There is a huge difference in what I can do with each TRV head this is the schedule for the eQ-3, but the energenie has many more options the base screen even more now this is an old screen shot, in theory using IFTTT I should be able to link the TRV current temperature to the plug in switch/monitor which in summer controls my portable AC so should be able to auto start/stop the AC unit depending on room temperature, however the AC in the two years we have lived here has only ran for around 5 weeks, so hardly worth automating, I just look at room temperature before returning home and it temperature high I manually turn it on.

And this is the thing about central heating as well, how much automation is really required, cooling or heating it takes time, and Nest Gen 3 seems to work out when to turn on the heating before my return, but the energenie mihome did not have such complex algorithms, and as said I cheated to get rooms to temperature, the same now with simple eQ-3 by setting times with just 10 minuets delay between the TRV's switching on I can ensure first kitchen, then dinning room and then living room are heated, in the order they will be used.