Smart Thermostat Installation Folkestone | Nest, Tado & Hive

Smart thermostat and heating controls installation in Folkestone

Good controls are the cheapest efficiency improvement available to most households. They are also the one most often sold on claims that do not quite survive contact with a real house.

We install Nest, Tado, Hive and conventional controls across Folkestone, Hythe and the surrounding villages, and we will tell you honestly what difference it is likely to make in your property rather than quoting a marketing figure.

What actually saves money, in order

A schedule that matches how you live. Heating an empty house is the single biggest waste there is, and a basic programmer set properly captures most of the available saving before you spend anything at all on smart kit.

Thermostatic valves on every radiator. So you stop heating rooms nobody is in. See radiators and valves.

The thermostat in the right place. A hallway or main living space, away from radiators, direct sun, draughts and anything that generates heat. A thermostat mounted above a radiator believes the house is warm when it is not, and shuts the boiler down while the rest of the property stays cold. We move these more often than people expect.

Zoning. Upstairs and downstairs on separate schedules, which fits how most households actually use their homes far better than one zone for everything.

Weather compensation or OpenTherm. The genuinely significant one, and the least talked about. Instead of firing flat out and cycling on and off, the boiler modulates its output to match demand and runs at lower flow temperatures. That keeps a condensing boiler in condensing mode, which is where its actual efficiency lives. See how heating controls can improve comfort.

The three thermostats, compared honestly

Nest. Learns your habits and builds its own schedule, which suits households with irregular routines. Well designed app, clean hardware, supports OpenTherm so it can modulate a compatible boiler properly. Less compelling if your routine is already regular and your existing programmer works, because the learning has little left to discover.

Tado. The strongest option for room by room control. Its smart radiator valves let you schedule individual rooms without plumbing in zone valves, which is a genuine advantage in a larger or irregularly occupied house. Worth knowing that some features sit behind a subscription, so factor that in before you buy rather than after.

Hive. The simplest and cheapest of the three. Remote control and scheduling without the learning behaviour. If what you want is to turn the heating on from your phone on the way back from Dover, this does exactly that for noticeably less money.

There is no single right answer. It depends on your routine, your house and how much you want to fiddle with an app.

Compatibility, which is where quotes go wrong

Most systems will take a smart thermostat, but very few installations are the straight swap the box implies.

Older systems with no room thermostat at all need wiring adding, which frequently means running a cable to a sensible location rather than simply replacing what is on the wall. Some combi setups need a receiver wiring into the boiler. Gravity fed hot water systems need converting to fully pumped before proper control is even possible.

And OpenTherm, the feature that delivers most of the efficiency benefit, only works with compatible boilers. Buying a thermostat for that reason and then discovering your boiler does not support it is a common and avoidable disappointment.

We check what you have before quoting, so the figure you are given is the figure for your house.

"He explains all the options, pricing etc and doesn't just go straight for the usual 'Mmm, you're going to need a new one of those' line but instead will try and repair what you've got if he can."

Tim Hack, Google review

Being straight about savings

The savings figures in the advertising are generated from best case scenarios, usually comparing against a house with no controls at all.

If you currently have no room thermostat, or a programmer that has never worked properly, or you heat the whole house all day because it is easier than fighting the timer, upgrading will make a real and measurable difference.

If you already have a working programmer, a room thermostat and TRVs on your radiators, and you use them sensibly, a smart thermostat will improve your convenience considerably and your bill only slightly.

Both are perfectly good reasons to buy one. We would rather you knew which you were buying now than felt let down in March.

Where controls make the biggest difference locally

Two situations come up repeatedly.

The newer estates. Properties at Hawkinge and Ashford are generally well insulated with modern boilers, and controls were fitted at build but almost never set up properly beyond the factory default. There is real gain available here for very little money, and often before spending anything on new hardware at all.

Larger properties. The detached houses around Saltwood and the tall Victorian homes along the Folkestone Leas and up the hill in Sandgate frequently run as a single zone. Heating five bedrooms to keep one room comfortable is where the money goes, and zoning fixes it.

Building Regulations require separate zones for properties over 150 square metres in any case. See central heating installation.

Controls will not fix a system fault

Worth saying plainly, because people sometimes buy a thermostat hoping it will solve something else.

If some radiators are cold at the bottom, that is sludge and it needs a power flush. If the far end of the house is always cooler, that is balancing. If the boiler keeps losing pressure, that is a leak or an expansion vessel. See why radiators develop cold spots, how to balance comfort across your radiators and boiler repair.

A smart thermostat on a faulty system just gives you a better app for watching it underperform.

Underfloor heating

Underfloor systems need their own approach, with a thermostat per zone and actuators on the manifold, and they want running at a steady lower temperature rather than switching on and off. See underfloor heating.

Other controls we fit

Programmers and timers, conventional room thermostats, cylinder thermostats, motorised zone valves, thermostatic radiator valves and wireless receivers.

Cylinder thermostats are worth a mention on their own. Set to 60 degrees, no lower, since below that you risk bacterial growth in stored water. A failed one gives you lukewarm water or a boiler that never stops. See hot water cylinders.

"We've used this company several times and they've been fantastic. They're incredibly responsive and always take the time to explain different options, making sure we understand what's best for our home and budget."

Max Rowe, Google review

Landlords

Smart controls in a let property are a mixed blessing. They are useful for void periods and for frost protection in properties that stand empty, particularly holiday lets around Dymchurch and New Romney. They also introduce an app, an account and a device that tenants will call you about. Conventional controls are often the easier choice. See landlord services.

Where we work

Folkestone, Hythe, Sandgate, Seabrook, Saltwood, Hawkinge, Capel-le-Ferne, Lympne, Lyminge, Elham, Sellindge, Dymchurch, New Romney, Dover and Ashford.

Common questions

Which smart thermostat is best? Nest for irregular routines, Tado for room by room control, Hive for simplicity and value. There is no universal answer.

Will it work with my boiler? Almost certainly for basic control. For OpenTherm modulation, only with compatible boilers, which we check first.

Can I fit one myself? Some are designed for it. Where wiring needs adding, a receiver fitting or the system converting to fully pumped, it is not a DIY job.

How long does installation take? A straight swap with existing wiring is usually an hour or two. Adding wiring or a receiver takes longer.

Do I still need TRVs? Yes, unless you have gone for smart radiator valves throughout. They do different jobs.

Will it definitely cut my bills? It will if your current controls are poor or nonexistent. If they are already good and well used, expect convenience rather than savings.

Call +44 7915 255984 to book a smart thermostat installation in Folkestone.