What is a Smart Radiator Valve?
Here at Hive, one of the things we get asked about most is our radiator valves. As a seemingly small part of your heating system, they often get overlooked. But actually, they’re a great way to heat your home exactly how you like it.
So, we thought we’d clear up some of the confusion and give the humble smart radiator valve the attention it deserves. From how does a smart TRV work, to their many benefits, here are the answers to some of your most frequently asked questions.
What is a smart radiator valve?
Smart radiator valves give you exact control of every radiator in your home straight from an app on your smartphone, tablet or smart watch. So you can do things like choose a precise temperature, set schedules or turn them off all together, wherever you are.
How do smart radiator valves work?
Similar to traditional thermostatic radiator valves (or TRVs as they’re often called), they control the flow of hot water into an individual radiator.
However, unlike normal TRVs for radiators, smart valves have their own temperature setting which you can adjust from your phone. This means you can choose the exact temperature you want each room to be, whether you’re in or out.
Are smart radiator valves worth it?
People often think the only thing to consider here is, 'do TRVs save money?'. And the answer to this is, yes. Over time you’ll see a difference in your energy bill as you won’t waste money heating empty parts of your home. But they’ve got loads of other great benefits worth considering too.
You can manage the heating in individual rooms
Putting different radiators at different temperatures is one of those things that isn’t always that easy to remember but is really useful when you do. Some rooms are naturally colder than others and we don’t use every part of our house all the time. Smart radiator valves make quick work of this.
Through the app you can easily set schedules. So, you can keep rooms like the kitchen and sitting room warm during the day and the bedrooms much colder. Then switch things around come night-time.
Useful for rooms you rarely use
Smart radiator control is also handy for rooms that you don’t use all that often. Say you’ve got the Grandparents coming to stay for the weekend. You can warm up the spare room and then easily turn the radiator off again when they leave.
Obviously, you can also do this manually, but the great thing about smart radiator valves is you can do it whenever you remember. In the park, in front of the sofa – you get the picture. Saving you time and money.
Choose the exact temperature of each room
Another great thing about smart radiator valves is they give you much greater control over the temperature in your home. Normal programmable TRVs only allow you to choose a number between 1 and 5. And for some reason, the dial always seems to be in the most awkward place, doesn’t it?
With a smart radiator valve, you can set the exact temperature in degrees.
Do I need to get my smart radiator valves professionally installed?
No, they’re easy to fit – you won’t even need to dust off the toolbox.
All you need to do is unscrew the current thermostatic radiator valve and screw in your shiny new ones. Once that’s done, open up your smart thermostat app and follow a few simple steps to connect the two.
And in the unlikely event of any smart TRV problems, you’ll be able to troubleshoot most issues through the app.
Do I need any other smart tech to get smart TRVs to work?
Most smart TRVs require some sort of hub to connect to your WiFi. For instance, our Hive Radiator Valves require a Hive Hub and the free Hive app. However, they work best with our smart thermostats, Hive Thermostat or Hive Thermostat Mini. You can control the temperature of a room any time, outside of your normal heating schedule. But if you don't have a Hive thermostat, you will only be able to control the heat from individual radiators when your central heating is on.
Find out more about getting your home just how you like it at Discover Hive.
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