Thermostat Buying Guide – Get Smart

Choosing the right type of Thermostat is important for your underfloor or central heating system in order that it works easily and efficiently while saving you money on the way. The VPS Underfloor Heating smart thermostat buying guide will help you choose the best device for your UFH system, lifestyle and budget.

Top 3 Smart Thermostat Features to look out for:

Compatibility

Without question, this is the most important feature to check on – ensure your smart stat is compatible with your underfloor heating system of choice. Give us a call and we will be happy to help.

Remote Access

If you want to be able to control your heating from a distance then remote access from a Smart Wifi thermostat is vital – just think – on a long commute home you know you can turn the heating on in your living room – so it will be nice and warm by the time you get home.

Programmability

A programmable thermostat will allow you to control the temperature across different zones in your home – keep empty rooms at a low temperature so you save on your energy bills.

Thermostat Compatibility

Firstly, you should choose a smart thermostat that is compatible with your heat source as not all thermostats work in exactly the same way. Some are for underfloor heating only, central heating only or some that work with both UFH and Central heating.

There are three type of thermostats on the marketplace:

Smart Thermostats

All smart thermostats connect to the internet and consequently to your heating system, normally via a hub, and essentially allow you to control your underfloor heating systems or central heating system via an app on your iPhone or Android device. Different rooms or zones in your home can be controlled independently ensuring you save money on your heating bills by turning off the heating in rooms not being used.

VPS Underfloor Heating stock a wide range of Smart Thermostats from well known manufacturers such as Heatmiser, Salus and ProWarm.

Let’s break down some of the options available:

• Heatmiser NeoStat V2

Ostensibly, the Heatmiser NeoStat V2 is a programmable thermostat that becomes ‘Smart’ when connected to a NeoHub – as the hub connects to your home network and allows you to control your heating from anywhere. While this stat can only be used in a Wet Underfloor Heating project, Heatmiser also produce another stat that is perfect for Electric Underfloor Heating systems – the NeoStat-E V2 

• Salus Quantum Thermostat Range

The Salus SQ610 is one of the newer smart thermostats on the market and one of the most versatile. The Salus stat can control underfloor and central heating as well being able to wirelessly control your boilers too. The Salus SQ610 comes in both a hardwired and Wireless versions (SQ610RF). Once connected to your home wifi network, you will be able to control your heating via the Android or iPhone app.

• ProWarm ProTouch Wifi Range

ProWarm also offer a range of smart thermostats for both electric and water underfloor heating systems. The ProWarm ProTouch Wifi can be used for Wet UFH projects and was designed to allow smartphone control of your underfloor heating system without the requirement of buying a “hub” or control centre.

Simply pair the device to your home wifi network using the iOS or Android smartphone application and you can then control the device remotely via your smartphone or tablet device.

This device also comes with 7-day programmer functionality, optimal start features and easy to read multi temperature displays.

For Electric Underfloor Heating Systems – there is the ProWarm ProTouch-E WiFi – this has the same features and benefits Wet UFH version and again can be paired to your home Wifi network using the smartphone apps.

Programmable Thermostats

Programmable thermostats can change the temperature of rooms automatically depending on the desired settings and timings. You can program the heating to switch on or off by setting up your target temperatures and times.

We would recommend the following programmable thermostats:

• The Heatmiser Neostat V2 as we mentioned above, while ‘Smart’ when paired with a hub, will also work as a programmable stat as well giving you the option of upgrading to the ‘Smart’ mode in the future.
• If you require a less sophisticated thermostat then it is also worth taking a look at the Heatmiser Touch V2  or the Heatmiser Slimline Range

Manual Thermostats

Manual stats will provide you with very basic temperature control but they only have very limited energy or money saving options and will not connect to your home network. Generally, a manual thermostat is best suited when your heating needs are very simple and rarely change from day to day. A good example would be a garage, where the heating would be getting used very infrequently.

Click here to take a look at the Heatmiser range of manual thermostats.

Why you should choose VPS for your Underfloor Heating Systems…

When deciding on Underfloor Heating for your home, you want to ensure that you receive expert advice from professionals like VPS – we can help with insight and advice into the design process. Plus we can recommend on how to best integrate your system with the different range of smart controls available.

VPS Underfloor Heating are able to answer any question you might have in regards your upcoming project or installation and stock a range of top-quality underfloor heating products from some of the most recognised names in the business including: Grundfos, Taconova, Heatmiser, ProWarm, ESBE and Salus Controls.

Give us a call on 0141 459 3141 to talk to one of the team or take a look at our Underfloor heating design and quotation service – to get a detailed cost of your underfloor heating project. Our team of design experts are on hand to create your underfloor heating quotation. In just 24 hours we provide you with a detailed quotation, material estimate, and further details about our products and your new system.