HEAT EMITTERS & SMART TECH

While most heat sources (gas, electric, heat pumps) and emitters (UFH, radiators, etc) can be integrated into your smart home, it’s advisable to get room-by-room heat loss modelling done before choosing the system. “Modern homes require a low level of energy to heat, so you don’t want to overspecify a heating system,” says Joe from Atamate. “Plus, where you’ve got a highly insulated house, you may only need quickresponse heating, for boosts of warmth as and when. This is where heat loss modelling is crucial.” Infrared radiators are a good fit for this requirement, as they’re speedy, efficient and work by warming solid objects, rather than the air around you.

Heat pumps are a popular self build tech offering low long-term running costs. They’re optimised by manufacturers to work as efficiently as possible on their own – but you’ll still want to integrate whatever emitter it’s powering, such as underfloor heating, to your smart home to ensure the room temperatures are just right. “We prefer to focus on the distribution of hot water around the building, often leaving the heat source to work as intended,” says Darren from Baulogic. “So, our smart technology will control the valves, pumps and manifolds to heat your home efficiently.”

If you’re opting for a radiator-based heating system (or working with existing units), the emitters can be retrofitted with smart TRVS. This is an inexpensive and intuitive way to gain control, alongside thermostats that can be controlled via a phone app.