How to buy the best smart thermostat for you
The best smart thermostats make managing the heating in your home a doddle. They connect your central heating to your smartphone via the internet. So you can control the temperature in your home with a quick tap, wherever you are.
While most smart thermostats work the same, there’s a wide amount to choose from, and more coming online all the time. It’s a one-off investment that’ll stay with you for a while, so you want to get the right one.
Now obviously we’d always suggest you choose a Hive Thermostat! They’re the UK’s favourite after all… But that aside, here are some questions that it’s well worth considering to make sure you find the best thermostat for you – and that you know exactly what you’re paying for.
Does it come with professional installation?
First up, be sure to check if the thermostat you like comes with professional installation. And of course, if you know your way round a toolbox and fancy doing it yourself, make sure you’re not paying for an installation you don’t need.
Does the price include everything?
Lots of the comparison sites will look at the best smart thermostats in the UK based on price. However, you also need to think about whether you can install it yourself, as this will affect the initial price too, with professional installation usually costing extra.
It’s also worth checking what else you need to buy to get up and running. Most of the best wireless thermostats require some sort of hub to connect everything up to your WiFi. Without it you won’t be able to control your heating remotely.
Do you want to control your heating hands-free?
All smart thermostats let you control your heating remotely from your smartphone or tablet. However, if you’re still struggling to work out what is the best smart thermostat for you, it’s worth thinking about whether you’d like to be able to access it using other devices as well.
For example, many of the leading brands now work with Alexa and Google Assistant. Some are also compatible with Apple HomeKit. This means you can control the temperature in your home from your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch or Mac.
So when you get caught in a downpour on your evening jog, you can ask Siri to boost your heating and hot water, ready for when you get home.
Is it compatible with other smart home devices?
For lots of people, a smart thermostat is a great way to dip their toe into the world of smart homes. But once you realise how convenient it is to be able to control your heating from anywhere you may be keen to come back for more. From smart lights to motion sensors, the possibilities are endless.
So when choosing the best WiFi thermostat for you it’s worth having a look at other products made by the same company, in case you decide to build on it over the years. Sticking with the same brand means you can get your products to work together and get your home operating seamlessly around you. For example, a motion sensor in the hall could trigger the lights to come on and heating to dial up a notch of two. It’s really useful stuff.
Those are the main questions to ask yourself before you get shopping. But it’s also worth having a think about whether some of these additional features would be helpful too.
Smart thermostats: latest features
Multizone heating
Multizone allows you to control the heating in different parts of your home at different times. So during the day you can keep the kitchen and study warm without wasting energy heating up the bedrooms.
The best smart thermostats for multiple zones will let you control up to three different heating areas in your home, all from your smartphone or tablet.
Geo-location
Some smart thermostats also come with a Geolocation function. This tracks your location using your smartphone and will send you a notification if you’re no longer at home but have left the heating on. Then you can simply turn it off with a tap of the app
Learning
You can also get learning thermostats. Over a couple of weeks, these spot patterns in your heating, such as when you have your heating on and for how long. Then they create an appropriate schedule for you, based on this information, without you having to programme in a thing.
Weather watch
This feature means your thermostat will monitor the weather forecast online and automatically respond. For instance, if it’s colder than expected, it will notch the heating up by a few degrees to keep things cosy.
Find out more about our Hive's smart thermostats.
