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Heating Controls with Optimised Start

Qyburn
Qyburn Posts: 3,549 Forumite
Fifth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
Hi, I was wondering which of the current heating control systems offer optimised start, and also any comments from users on how well that works for them.

Not to teach anyone to suck eggs but I refer to systems where you set a target time and temperature, and the system decides how long before that time it needs to bring the heating on.

I believe Hive doesn't, or possibly the guy I was speaking to didn't know how to enable it. It would be possible, although fiddly to create the same effect with a series of time/temperature ranges. That would be OK if you don't often change requirements but a pain if you do.
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Comments

  • kuratowski
    kuratowski Posts: 1,415 Forumite
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  • Wiser does this too, it has two Smart modes. One is to anticipate the time to a comfortable temp, 'Comfort mode'. The other turns it off or down in anticipation of the end time, 'Eco mode'.
  • Magnitio
    Magnitio Posts: 1,194 Forumite
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    Netatmo has this facility. Works well once it has calibrated to the characteristics of the building it is installed in.
    6.4kWp (16 * 400Wp REC Alpha) facing ESE + 5kW Huawei inverter + 10kWh Huawei battery. Buckinghamshire.
  • m_c_s
    m_c_s Posts: 328 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 6 April 2023 at 8:28AM
    The Drayton Wiser system has some kind of algorithm which takes input from the outside air temperature forecast in the town or city (it looks like it uses data from another weather app) together with learning how fast your house warms up and retains heat to optimise energy use.
    I am still learning about the ECO smart mode but I would say it has saved approx 15 to 20% gas use compared with normal operation.
  • Qyburn
    Qyburn Posts: 3,549 Forumite
    Fifth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Cheers.  The system we used (developed) for commercial building in the '80s used outside and inside temperature to decide start time. But if there was no outside sensor it still worked pretty well just going off indoor temp.
  • Tado also has optimised (early) start and Opentherm boiler control. I have had it installed for 3 years. It was a 15 minute DIY job and the system hasn’t missed a beat since it was installed. If you are an Octopus customer, you can get a 30% discount voucher.
  • Qyburn
    Qyburn Posts: 3,549 Forumite
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    Thanks. Do you use their radiator controllers? If so then do they fully interlock with the boiler - ie boiler goes off if none are calling, or back on as soon as one does? Irrespective of any system wide timing.
  • k_man
    k_man Posts: 1,636 Forumite
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    Hive has this feature too, known as Ready By.
    It is limited to only up to 60 minutes before the target time.

    But does reduce the number of stepped temperature schedules required.
  • Qyburn
    Qyburn Posts: 3,549 Forumite
    Fifth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    k_man said:
    Hive has this feature too, known as Ready By.
    Thanks, I had a slight suspicion it might have something.

    Back when I worked in the area "Optimiser" or Optimised" were the standard terms, inherited from electromechanical or pneumatic "optimisers" that predated and were being replaced by microprocessor controls. I suppose It's not too surprising that terminology from those days was lost during the 25 or 30 years when everyone stopped caring about energy saving. But it does make it more difficult comparing features when each system uses their own name for the same function.

  • Qyburn said:
    Thanks. Do you use their radiator controllers? If so then do they fully interlock with the boiler - ie boiler goes off if none are calling, or back on as soon as one does? Irrespective of any system wide timing.
    I don’t use eTRVs. I had them in a previous home which had a 18 radiator Evohome system. I was never convinced that the savings justified the investment. In the main, the same room isolation can be achieved with standard TRVs.
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