Nest thermostat or electric TVR's?

lsatdown

Hi

Im was looking to buy a nest thermostat to help save money and automate schedules. However i then came across electric TVR radiator valves that mean you can independently set a room to a set temperature and at set times via a schedule.

My question is which would save the most amount of money over a year? The nest looks great however its still only going off the room / area where its located, and is still technically heating empty rooms when not needed (bedroom during the day).

Would the enhanced switching the boiler on/off via a nest or only allowing hot water into each radiator via an electronic TRV at set times and set temperatures save more money and be more efficient?

Thoughts?

System

lsatdown wrote: »

Hi

Im was looking to buy a nest thermostat to help save money and automate schedules. However i then came across electric TVR radiator valves that mean you can independently set a room to a set temperature and at set times via a schedule.

My question is which would save the most amount of money over a year? The nest looks great however its still only going off the room / area where its located, and is still technically heating empty rooms when not needed (bedroom during the day).

Would the enhanced switching the boiler on/off via a nest or only allowing hot water into each radiator via an electronic TRV at set times and set temperatures save more money and be more efficient?

Thoughts?

It is estimated that a TPI-enabled smart thermostat will save you c.15% of gas usage per year (the figure depends very much on your lifestyle and the heating controls that it replaces).

Sadly, as I am sure that you know, you cannot just go out and buy a wifi TRV and expect it to work. It needs a £200 controller like Evohome or Tado. Moreover, each TRV will cost you upwards of £50 and to get the maximum benefit you need them on all your radiators. I have Evohome and it is saving me about 15% a year on gas (usage not my bill). It will take me many years to recover the outlay. The real advantage though is more balanced heating in terms of zones in use compared to zones not in use. That said, you have to be careful not to over cycle the boiler. Boilers were scoped in size/capacity to heat all the radiators - not just the one in the room that you are sitting in.

lsatdown

thanks for the reply. Yes i've looked at Evohome, however i was thinking of the cheaper versions like these where you don't need the wifi unit, each eTrv acts independently:
https://www.victorianplumbing.co.uk/terrier-i-temp-programmable-thermostatic-radiator-valve?campaign=googlebase&PS2PVV1=1739&gclid=CjwKEAiAg5_CBRDo4o6e4o3NtG0SJAB-IatY92u9ROMLGPgjzSeuxeeWKlfz9p-ZRUOYPYmIpWogyRoCe9Pw_wcB

andrewmp

It'll depend on your useage.

The cheap electronic TRVs that you're talking about, the ones that don't link up to tado etc are good value for money if you have rooms which aren't occupied all day and you can't remember/be bothered to turn them off yourself. I have a few and they will have paid for themselves already as they were only about £15 each.

ASavvyBuyer

These look interesting. Look like they replace the tops of existing thermostatic radiator valves.

lsatdown

yes they look good, although my values are on the bottom of the radiator so need vertical versions.
These are super cheap! Although i've heard the cheaper ones are noisy when changing temperature.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Xavax-Energy-Saving-Control-for-Radiators-111850-/152342302859?hash=item23784f108b:g:wUgAAOSwgQ9VyegP

andrewmp

ASavvyBuyer wrote: »

These look interesting. Look like they replace the tops of existing thermostatic radiator valves.

That's what I've got, they work well.

andrewmp

lsatdown wrote: »

yes they look good, although my values are on the bottom of the radiator so need vertical versions.
These are super cheap! Although i've heard the cheaper ones are noisy when changing temperature.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Xavax-Energy-Saving-Control-for-Radiators-111850-/152342302859?hash=item23784f108b:g:wUgAAOSwgQ9VyegP

They are a bit noisy, wouldn't recommend turning them on in the morning before you awake if you're a light sleeper. It sounds like a little motor spinning, which I guess is what it is.

ASavvyBuyer

lsatdown wrote: »

yes they look good, although my values are on the bottom of the radiator so need vertical versions.
These are super cheap! Although i've heard the cheaper ones are noisy when changing temperature.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Xavax-Energy-Saving-Control-for-Radiators-111850-/152342302859?hash=item23784f108b:g:wUgAAOSwgQ9VyegP

Thanks for the tip about these. :beer:
We have bought a few for £7.99 each and they work a treat.
We have used them to replace the tops of thermostatic valves in bedrooms, so that they only allow heating in the evening and morning. Very flexible programming.
Can just about hear the motor when changing set temperature, but not that loud.
Many thanks; as did not know they existed until we saw them in this thread. :beer:

danbutler89

I agree with other posters that the financial savings of these devices are illusory. I'm afraid that these devices are 'technology for its own sake' and actually don't work very well.

My own experience with Tado is that I removed the device after a string of technical issues completely eradicated any savings I expected to make, so all in all I've simply lost the money I spent on the thing in the first place.

The main issues are that:

a) The company take no responsibility whatsoever for the installation and therefore are extremely limited in any 'technical support' they can give. My repeated requests for technical support (mostly at times when the device failed to communicate with the boiler = I have no heating) were met in every case by them saying they were unable to advise and that I'd have to speak to the plumber who installed the device. Meanwhile, the boiler cover I pay for doesn't cover the supposedly 'smart' Tado so no call out from them either.

b) You are entirely reliant on an internet connection, and a set of servers located somewhere far far away, to be able to turn your boiler on and off. When these fail for any reason (and fail they often do) the controls go haywire. The result of this is that I repeatedly experienced time when 1. My heating wouldn't turn on, sometimes for days on end, and 2. My heating wouldn't turn off - once this happened when I was away, my 'smart' heating app told me everything was off, yet left the boiler on full blast for days. Any savings I might have imagined I'd make have literally gone up in smoke, and the inconvenience of having my house turned into a fridge despite having a perfectly functioning boiler right there, well that's the cherry on top.

If you're looking to save money on your heating, there are many tried and tested ways of doing so that are low-tech, low-cost, and carry none of the unnecessary risks of these 'smart' products. The only 'smart' thing about these devices is the marketing.

My experience is of Tado - I would strongly advise you to avoid this company as my own experience both of their product and their 'customer service' has been dreadful. In light of my experience the installer has offered to come and remove the device free of charge.

System

I can't speak for Tado but I can say the support that Honeywell UK has given me when I have reported the occasional issues that I have had with Evohome has been second to none. This includes replacing a faulty hot water transceiver after nearly 3 years of use.