Author: April (Genius Hub)

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New and Improved Doctor

Genius Hub App: New & Improved Doctor

Our new and improved Doctor is designed to empower you with the tools and information needed to diagnose and resolve issues quickly and efficiently. Whether you’re facing technical challenges or looking for solutions, you’ll find detailed guides, troubleshooting steps, and innovative tools at your fingertips.

Key features include:

  • Issue Diagnosis: Step-by-step troubleshooting to help identify and pinpoint problems.
  • Actionable Solutions: Practical fixes tailored to common and complex issues.
  • New Tools: Access to advanced utilities designed to check problems and improve the performance of your system.

Explore the Doctor and take control of your troubleshooting journey today!

Troubleshooter
Straight to Solution

Now troubleshooting a specific device is straightforward. Simply select your device, and we’ll guide you through a series of diagnostic steps to identify the issue. Once diagnosed, you’ll receive tailored solutions to fix the problem. Additionally, you’ll have access to new tools designed to optimize performance, enhance device functionality, and ensure a smoother troubleshooting experience from start to finish.

New Options Added:

  • Exclude: Removing an unwanted device
  • Relearn: Reset the values of the device
  • Remove Dead Node: Remove old nodes that have been replaced
  • Factory Reset: Restoring the devices to their factory setting

The Doctor also serves as a centralized hub where all your documentation, manuals and videos are stored in one convenient location. Whether you need product guides, user manuals, or technical documents, everything is easily accessible in one place. This all-in-one resource ensures you can quickly find the information you need and make troubleshooting or setup a breeze.

Future Improvements:

As we add more solutions, you may notice more flagged issues. This increase is intentional, reflecting our commitment to providing comprehensive support and addressing a wider range of potential problems. By expanding our solutions, we can offer more precise fixes, ensuring issues are captured and resolved, and enhancing your overall troubleshooting experience.

Genius Hub Doctor
More Genius Hub Additions

Signal Strength Test (Z-Wave):

All mains powered devices act as signal repeaters, the battery powered devices communicate through these to reach the Genius Hub. When one device can see another device it is called a neighbour and it can be either other mains powered devices, or battery powered devices. Each mains powered device can be queried for a list of the other Z-Wave devices it can see in direct range. The Devices Page can now display the neighbouring listening devices.

For More Information: Click Here

Signal Strength Test (Zigbee):

The Wireless Radiator Valve (DA-WRV-E) can be queried for their signal strength between them and the nearest signal repeater. It is also possible to query the signal strength to the Smart Plug (Dual Band) (see here for the differences between Smart Plugs).

For More Information: Click Here

Bypass Valve Learning

Also on the Devices Page, you can now see a new option called Bypass Valve Learning. This setting instructs the Wireless Radiator Valve (DA-WRV-E) to treat changes from the app as if they were manual overrides. This should increase valve responsiveness, especially when a change to the set temperature is first made. It may cause the control to be less accurate and may reduce battery life. These are being checked as part of this testing.

For More Information: Click Here

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Comet Homes Alpesh Kavia

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ALPESH KAVIA - COMET HOMES​​

HMOs are always a tricky situation when it comes to energy bills. Tenants prefer the simplicity of an “all included” price, but then they don’t have any incentive to manage the heating carefully. Landlords are put in the difficult position of needing to keep tenants happy while also keeping heating costs under control.

A side-by-side comparison

We spoke to Alpesh Kavia from Comet Homes about an interesting installation he’d done in West Ruislip, North-West London. Although fairly typical in many regards, what makes this property interesting is that there are three similar apartments next to each other.

All are HMOs with ensuite bathrooms for each bedroom, newly built above a shop in a terraced style. In the name of science, the landlord decided to test three different configurations:

  • One “baseline” apartment with just the standard 7 day timer and manual TRVs on each radiator
  • An apartment with a “basic zoned” Genius Hub system: valve heads on the bedroom radiators only
  • One apartment with the “full works”: motion sensors in each room, valves on all radiators including on the towel radiators in each ensuite bathroom

How did this installation go?

“The installation went smoothly”, Alpesh tells us. “One aspect that could have cause an issue with other heating controls is that in some of the bedrooms, access to the radiator valve was blocked by the bed – so tenants wouldn’t be able to reach the valve to adjust the room temperature. That’s no problem with Genius Hub though, because I just installed wireless thermostats on the wall, so tenants can use that instead.”

Significant savings

These apartments are newly built to modern building standards, including insulation, double glazing and efficient A-rated gas boilers. As such, potential savings are lower than for older properties that lose a lot more heat. With this in mind, did the Genius Hub controls actually save any money?

Based on the first year’s gas consumption, the answer is a resounding ‘yes’! Compared to the “baseline” apartment, the “basic zoned” install achieved energy savings of over 7%. This is an underestimate, though, as this apartment has 6 bedrooms while the others have only 5 bedrooms. Despite the current price gap on gas, this still represents savings of over £170 per year.

The apartment with the “full works” doubled these savings, cutting gas consumption by over 15%. At current gas prices, that’s a saving of over £370 per year. And, of course, if gas prices rise, savings will increase, making Genius Hub a useful protection against future price increases.

Why choose Genius Hub?

“About 2 years ago, I developed my own HMO. I wanted heating controls that allow me to manage the heating but also allow the tenants some flexibility, within limits. I looked at Tado, Inspire and Hive but there wasn’t anything else that really met my needs. I chose Genius Hub because it allows tenants to control only the room, without overheating the whole house. Also, the other systems don’t allow you to control the hot water temperature.”

What do tenants make of Genius Hub?

“What I’ve learned is that if you can install Genius Hub before new tenants move in, it’s the perfect time. They just accept that it’s part of their new home, and that’s how it works.

If you install the system with tenants already in the property, expect to have to help them to adjust to not just having 24/7 heating like they’re used to. You have to help them understand what the system is and how it works; also that the sensors only detect movement, it’s not a camera! I made short videos to send them on WhatsApp, and stickers with instructions. After 3-4 weeks they were familiar with the system and didn’t have any more difficulties.”

How’s the experience as a landlord?

Landlords clearly benefit from the energy savings. But are there any other benefits to having a Genius Hub system installed in your HMO?

“It’s really useful to be able to diagnose some common problems remotely, without having to visit the property. I always install Genius Hub with a temperature probe. Normally if nothing’s getting heat, it’s because the boiler pressure has dropped too low. If only some rooms are getting heat, it’s because there’s air in the system. Sometimes tenants can resolve these common issues without needing to call a plumber.

Also the, MegaFlow tank has an electric immersion heater in it, so I can use the Genius Hub app to remotely switch that on if there’s any problem with the boiler. That way, the tenants are comfortable and I can schedule a plumber in the next few days, without needing to pay for an emergency call-out, or I can go resolve the issue myself when I have time.

In general, it’s just great to be able to monitor and control the heating remotely. That way, I can conveniently address any issues and keep my tenants happy, while also keeping energy costs under control.”

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The Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club

©Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club

The Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club

CASE STUDY

The Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club is one of the largest Sailing Clubs in Northern Ireland with around 1,000 members. Gaia Smart Energy recently worked with the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club to review and optimise their energy set-up, resulting in savings of 45% on heating costs using Genius Hub.

The installation process was Straight forward and left a lasting impression on the Royal Yacht Club team

"It is easy to use, and you can plan for a week in advance for heating rooms that are only used occasionally." "We only have heating where and when we need it so there is less wastage and it is friendlier to the environment."

How did you control your heating before?​

“Our heating system before didn’t allow for much control– it was separated into 3 zones to heat different areas of the Clubhouse, but this was ineffective and led to areas being heated that weren’t being used on a daily basis. The control system was in the bar and could be accessed by everyone, and this didn’t allow it to be managed effectively. Redesigning and installing a new heating system, which had been installed in 1985, would have involved enormous expense in re-piping and zoning. Since the radiators were all approaching 40 years old, replacing them would have been an enormous job, never mind the building work involved.”

What do you like about the system

“It is easy to use and you can plan a week in advance for heating various rooms that are only used occasionally. It is more efficient and means we only have heating where and when we need it, so there is less wastage and it is friendlier to the environment.”

View Gaia Smart Energy To Read More
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Cornerstone Veterinary Clinic

©Cornerstone Veterinary Clinic

Cornerstone Veterinary Clinic

CASE STUDY

After being impressed with the Genius Hub system we fitted in his home, Peter Herold decided to also have it installed in his busy veterinary surgery, Cornerstone Vets, soon afterwards. The veterinary surgery demonstrates the full breadth of what the Genius Hub system is capable of.

How did you control your heating before?

“Before the Genius Hub was installed, I controlled the temperature just by manually opening and closing each of the valves on the radiators in each room. Sometimes I would forget and leave a room on, wasting energy. I also have lots of staff who are too busy to remember to turn off the heating when it is not needed. Redesigning and installing a new heating system, which had been installed in 1985, would have involved enormous expense in re-piping and zoning.”

How user-friendly do you and your staff find the system?

“I find the system very user friendly. If I’m not at the practice, my staff can control each individual room but the system can never run beyond closing time due to the way it’s set up, so I don’t need to worry about it being left on all weekend.”

What do you like about the system

“When Genius Hub was fitted to my home, I knew very quickly that it would be ideal for my Veterinary practice. When the Gaia engineer came out to survey the building I was surprised to find that I could control all of the electric heating, air conditioning and ventilation fans etc. as well as the radiators.”

View Gaia Smart Energy To Read More
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The Mount Business & Conference Centre

©The Mount Business and Conference Centre - Facebook

The Mount Business & Conference Centre

CASE STUDY

The building comprises of a combination of serviced offices, conference rooms, training rooms, and an in-house restaurant. Andrew Campbell, owner and manager of The Mount, was familiar with the Genius Hub system because he had had it installed in his home two years earlier. Having seen what the system can do, he decided to have it installed on a much larger scale in his business and conference centre.

How did you control your heating before having the new system installed?

“The Mount Business & Conference Centre in Belfast is a large commercial building with a mixture of underfloor heating and radiators. The heating system was controlled by the Building Management System (BMS) with sensors in different areas to try and zone the system. In addition to the BMS, the radiators had thermostatic valves and the rooms with underfloor heating had individual thermostats.”

What do you like about the system?

“There are actually a number of different features that I like about the system:

- Ease of use: Of the software on both the computer and phone app.

- Control: It allows me to remotely control the heating system at an individual room level.

- Information: Until the Genius system was installed we had no way of knowing what temperature a room was at without going to the room. Now, the information provided by the system allows us to provide a better customer experience by ensuring that when the rooms and offices are in use they are at a comfortable temperature. The Genius system also helped us identify a number of faults in our heating system such as faulty actuators and seized pins on the underfloor heating loops.

- Reduced energy consumption: Using the Genius system to control the air-conditioning systems has significantly reduced energy wastage by ensuring the air-con is not left running when a room is unoccupied.

And as it is not possible to turn on the air-conditioning when the heating is on, this stops the two systems working against each other.”

How user-friendly do you find the system?

“The Genius system is extremely user friendly on both PC and Genius Hub App. Setting up and changing heating timings is done in seconds.”

View Gaia Smart Energy To Read More
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Guidance on Accessing Support

Guidance on Accessing Support

We hope you’ve had a great Winter and are looking forward to the Spring! Before you switch off, we want to make sure you’re up-to-date with our current Support Packages.

Support Ticket

A member of the technical team will reply to your support ticket with the solution so you don’t have to look for it; and help to diagnose your system if it is not working the way you expect.

Support One - 2 - One

Schedule a One 2 One at a convenient date & time, and your Genius Hub engineer will remotely guide you through what you want help with, in a personalised course just for you.

Since we cancelled all monthly Support Subscriptions in September 2023 and moved over to a ticketing portal, we want to ensure all customers are aware of the following:

  • The ‘Contact Us’ forms on our website are sent to our Sales Team who are not able to triage or answer queries such as ‘Genius Hub won’t connect to the internet’ or ‘radiator won’t turn off’. 
  • Callbacks are only available if a Support One-2-One is purchased, however, If there is a scenario where we would need to call you, we will contact you.
  • Bug Reports are sent into a database for our development team only. As such, we are unable to triage or respond to queries sent in this manner.  
  • Forum: When requesting support on the forum, please keep in mind that it is not the first point of contact and it may take longer than expected for a reply. Please refrain from direct messaging Admins: If the issue is urgent, please purchase a ticket and we will refund it if the issue falls in our court.
  • Call your heating engineer/electrician/plumber. You can also find a Genius Hub certified installer, found on our Installer Map.
  • Using our free Knowledge Base, YouTube, and FAQs. Our Knowledge base is curated, updated and checked regularly by our team. All the support we provide you with via email or phone is on this site and, very often, it is what our Support Team uses to assist you. 
  • Use our Forum where customers like yourselves have solutions and interesting ways to use the system.
  • Log into your user account at: geniushub.co.uk/my-account*
  • Near the bottom of the bar on the left-hand side, select ‘My Tickets’. This is the Ticket Portal.
  • Click on your Ticket.
  • Fill in your issue within the text box and click ‘Submit’.
  • Your message has now been sent to the support team who will investigate the issue and respond in due course.
(**Please Note:  Your username and password are the account you used to purchase your system/additional devices NOT Hub Credentials (the details you use to log in to your system). Your username and password are the account you used to purchase your system/additional devices.**)
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Sodington Hall

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SCOTT RICHARDSON-BROWN

CASE STUDY

Large rural houses take a lot of energy to heat, and when it’s a historic building, the options for improving energy efficiency are limited. We took a look at how Genius Hub is helping reduce energy consumption in a large period country house.

Sitting atop a hill in Mamble, Worcestershire and overlooking 16 acres of landscaped gardens and grounds, Sodington Hall is an impressive Georgian-style country house. It was constructed in the early 19th century, but remains of a Roman settlement dating back to around AD 418 have been found on the same site.

Despite James Lees-Milne referring to the property as a “red brick dolls house” in the Shell Worcestershire Guide, it certainly isn’t miniature! The building houses over 30 rooms spread over three floors, and there is a separate annex and outdoor pool.

Like many large historical buildings, heating can be a challenge. We interviewed the property’s owner, Scott Richardson-Brown, to understand how Genius Hub helps him keep heating costs under control.

Why install Genius Hub smart heating controls?

“I was searching around for smart heating controls at a time when they were in their infancy. I was very keen to ensure that I had something that was at the cutting edge and would move with the times.

My main considerations when comparing the options for smart heating controls were price and functionality. We have a large property with over 30 rooms, so the ability to control each room was very important.

Genius Hub appeared to be significantly more advanced than the competition and the customer service was very good.”

As Genius Hub allows each room to be controlled individually, savings in this type of situation can be considerable, as only a few of the rooms are in use at any given time. For example, many rooms only need to be heated when guests are staying.

Scott is often away on business. Genius Hub allows him to easily turn the heating off when he leaves, safe in the knowledge that every room is still protected from frost. During his return journey, the Genius Hub mobile app allows him to turn the heating back on in advance, so the house is warm by the time he gets back.

How do you use Genius Hub?

“I have certain rooms on all the time and then use the app to control other rooms as and when we have guests, or when I know I’ll occupy them. The app is very easy to use.”

Even rooms that are used regularly benefit from being on a schedule, so that bedrooms are only heated at night, while the rest of the house is only heated during the day.

What system was installed?

Scott asked us to design and install a full system to meet his needs. A full decade ago (yes, way back in 2014!), we installed our original Genius Hub, but we have recently upgraded his whole system to our latest “v2” hardware.

The building has classic cast iron radiators on a one pipe system, ​​where circulation through the radiator relies on gravity. That’s no problem for Genius Hub; the radiators were simply fitted with Danfoss RAG valves, making them compatible with our latest wireless valve heads.

As well as the radiators, the Genius Hub also controls multiple underfloor heating loops, hot water, as well as the main biomass boiler. It also controls several electric loads including an immersion heater and an AGA range cooker.

Pool heating is handled by an additional Hub unit linked via an Ethernet cable, as the pool is a significant distance from the house, but it can still be seamlessly controlled from within the same app.

What has been your experience with Genius Hub overall?

“It’s been excellent. The installation was seamless, and it’s very easy to use.

My only concern when I first had the system installed was that the company was only a few years old. That’s not a concern now that Genius Hub is much more established, that I know the system is reliable and that their customer service is very good.

For me, the system works exactly as I’d hoped and I can’t really think of anything that could be improved. I’d definitely recommend it.”

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Coventry City Council

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COVENTRY CITY COUNCIL

CASE STUDY

Large, historic buildings are notoriously difficult to heat efficiently. We take a look at how Coventry City Council are using smart heating controls to cut their carbon footprint, keep occupants comfortable and preserve the beauty of their historic buildings.

Coventry City Council started monitoring the carbon footprint of its operations in 2008, and by 2016 they’d already reduced emissions by an impressive 35%. But they’re not stopping there. They continue to make improvements, including reducing the energy consumption of their buildings.

After seeing the success of the Genius Hub installation in the council-owned Coombe Abbey Hotel, the council have been keen to explore how Genius Hub can help them continue to reduce energy consumption. So they installed Genius Hub smart heating controls in another 14 buildings of various types, including schools, care homes, pavilions and offices.

The council also trialled two heating control systems from other manufacturers, however both installations encountered serious setbacks. One system was incompatible with the council’s computer systems, so installation could only be completed after the supplier rewrote their app, which took three years. Another installation, of a wired system, encountered reliability issues as the cables kept snagging where the installers had to route cables through tight turns. Ultimately, this installation was abandoned entirely.

In this case study we’ll focus on just one of their Genius Hub installations: the council’s iconic Council House, a historic building in the centre of the city.

The Council House: a Grade 1 listed building

Constructed in 1917 and designed to accommodate 1,500 employees, the Council House is an impressive Elizabethan-style building. It consists mainly of office space, but also houses large formal rooms such as the Council Chamber, Mayor’s Parlour and various committee rooms.

When it comes to heating period buildings such as this, energy efficiency is a challenge. Many of the options available to more modern buildings aren’t compatible with preserving the beautiful façade and interior details.

However, heating controls were an area that could certainly be improved. Previously the heating was controlled by a Building Management System (BMS) that only divided the building into three large zones, making it impossible to manage the heating efficiently. Even worse, the BMS didn’t control the air conditioning system in the meeting rooms, so they were often being cooled while the heating was still on.

The council received funding from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, which enabled a package of energy efficiency improvements to be implemented in the building, including the installation of Genius Hub motion-sensing heating controls.

We interviewed Paul Bowell, the Assistant Facilities Manager, to capture his experience of the installation and use of Genius Hub.

Did you have any concerns before installation?

“Yes. This is a challenging building, both because we need to preserve the building itself, but also because of the occupants. I understand why we’re making changes to save energy, but I knew we wouldn’t be able to please everyone. I wasn’t sure whether staff would understand why rooms wouldn’t be kept warm all the time, and how we can get them on board.”

How do you find using the app?

“Brilliant, I love it. The user interface is great and really easy to use. It’s simple, it’s well laid out, and it gives me instant control over all the different buildings from one place. I use it on the phone or the computer. At my desk, I prefer to use the computer, but when I’m not on site I use my phone, which works well.”

How was the process of design and installation?

“Genius Hub did a site visit with the installation company and they designed it together, then presented this design to us with a fully costed proposal. We had quite a few questions but we had several meetings, and all our questions were answered.”

The system was designed to control each room individually, based on occupancy. Genius Hub functions automatically, enabling significant energy savings without needing occupants or staff to adjust heating controls.

In total, the system controls over 250 radiators, the ventilation system and air conditioning units. The smart radiator valves were colour-matched to the cast iron radiators, so that they blend in. As Genius Hub is a wireless system, there’s no need to run wires to every device, or all the messy drilling that would be required to do so.

“The installation crew were excellent; very professional, clean and tidy. They really took care of the building fabric, and also worked around the occupants to minimise disruption. For example, if a meeting room was being used at particular times, they’d work around this.”

How did the system perform?

“Initially a few occupants were trying to adjust the valves manually and complaining when it didn’t work as they expected, but Genius Hub helped us resolve that and the occupants are happy with it now.

In some rooms, Genius Hub has improved the comfort, because previously the radiators at the end of each pipe run wouldn’t get warm. After installing Genius Hub, the heat is only being used where it’s needed, so it is better distributed around the building. So now those radiators are working really well, and we’ve been able to remove the additional electric heaters we’d previously been forced to install.”

The client estimates the savings in the first winter to be over 60%, compared to the building’s energy usage before the Genius Hub was installed.

Would you recommend Genius Hub?

“Yes, definitely! Despite the challenges of this building, Genius Hub has worked very well, so I’d definitely recommend it.”

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Student Cribs

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©Student Cribs

STUDENT CRIBS

CASE STUDY

HMO landlords like Student Cribs face a dilemma when it comes to energy bills. Tenants love the convenience and peace of mind of paying rent with their bills included, but then they have no incentive not to waste energy. We interviewed Student Cribs to find out if Genius Hub helped them to keep energy costs under control while keeping their tenants happy.

The story of Student Cribs

In 2003, frustrated by being rejected by landlords just because he was a student, Charlie Vaughan-Lee started Student Cribs. Initially he bought and renovated three properties, which he let to friends. Now, two decades later, Student Cribs manages over 5000 rooms in around 1000 properties across the country.

They pride themselves on providing comfortable, well-equipped student houses in the best locations in university cities and towns. Tenants pay a simple, all-inclusive price, including electricity, heating, hot water and other utilities.

The challenges of managing heating at scale

HMO properties are notorious for being wasteful with energy, with tenants in bills-included properties often turning up the central heating thermostat when they’re cold, but opening windows when it’s too hot! Meanwhile, landlords typically have little ability to manage energy consumption in their properties.

Student Cribs has been tackling this challenge using smart heating controls, allowing their team to monitor heating settings remotely and ensure that heating is reduced to the frost setting when students leave during holiday periods.

Tom Ferber (Director) “We want to save energy, but it’s almost really important that our tenants are comfortable and that the heating system is easy for them to control. The risks of trying a new control system are small because these are small properties, but the potential energy saving is huge.”

Previously they have used another smart thermostat system, but it didn’t support the control of electric heating, which they needed for their properties in Swansea. That’s when they looked around for alternatives and discovered Genius Hub.

Why did they choose Genius Hub?

Their Swansea properties use electric convection heaters, which are expensive to run – but replacing them with a new heating system would be a major investment. Instead, they turned to Genius Hub to control each individual heater, as well as the immersion heater for hot water.

Tom: “The price was excellent, and our experience of the Genius Hub team is that they’re engaged and helpful. We were a bit concerned about needing to replace batteries frequently, as we’d had that problem with another heating control system. And of course, we never know whether the energy savings will be as much as predicted.”

Typically in a HMO with electric heating, a Genius Hub can pay for itself in well under 2 years; sometimes in less than a year. To put that to the test, Student Cribs installed Genius Hub into eight terraced properties in Swansea. This Genius Hub installation uses motion sensors to detect when tenants are home, turning off each room’s electric heater automatically when they leave. 

©Student Cribs
©Student Cribs

When the property is completely vacated, it even turns off the immersion heater in the hot water tank, helping save even more energy during holiday periods. As soon as the first tenant returns, the hot water automatically turns back on.

Even though they could use their existing heating control solution with properties that use gas boilers, Student Cribs were curious to see how Genius Hub compares. So they chose to also install our full, motion-sensing heating controls in four of their properties in Exeter, using wireless valve heads to control each room’s radiators individually.

Currently, installing individual room control normally leads to a longer payback period than installing a simpler, cheaper Genius Hub system that only provides whole house control. However, installing the “full package” can bring greater energy savings over the long term, and helps insulate Student Cribs from any future gas price increases. Also, because each Genius Room Sensor also measures temperature, it allows them to avoid excessive electricity bills by easily identifying when tenants are using electric heaters.

What’s it been like to use Genius Hub?

Tom continues; “The installation was easy; the contractors installed it as part of the renovation they were doing on the properties. The controls for Genius Hub are easy to use, and itand it integrates easily with how the tenants use the buildings. It doesn’t have many points of failure; generally, we’ve found that once it’s up and running, you can just leave it alone. That works well for our type of tenants. We like that Genius Hub automatically takes care of everything, so we’re not heating empty rooms; we’re saving energy.”

Although it’s mainly a ‘fit and forget’ solution, landlords like Student Cribs can still easily monitor heating settings across multiple properties in one place: our ‘Multi-Hub Dashboard’.

“If a tenant does have an issue with their heating, it’s great to be able to immediately log into Genius Hub and solve it remotely. And we can easily see whether they’re using electric heaters. As soon as the staff at head office saw what Genius Hub could do, they all thought that it’s great and wondered why we’re not using it in all our other properties!”

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Green Resolutions for 2024

Green Resolutions for 2024

A recent study has shown 49% of people have pledged to save money for their New Years Resolutions…As we leap into the New Year, it’s a great time to reflect on the winter months and consider changes we can make to have a greener (and cheaper) 2024.

The UK is on an ambitious mission to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. To meet this ambitious target, the country must take a multidisciplinary approach, with energy efficiency at the forefront. Heating is one of the largest sources of carbon emissions, accounting for about one-third of the UK’s carbon footprint. Therefore, transitioning to cleaner and more sustainable heating systems is crucial for the UK’s net-zero goal.

Coincidentally, a recent survey conducted by YouGov noted that 49% of resolutions for the new year are pledges to save more money.  Considering that roughly 6% of individual monthly salaries are taken up by energy bills, therein lies a balance to save money whilst also improving individual energy efficiency.

Smart heating companies like Genius Hub are among the pioneers of environmental sustainability, and we have some tips for you to make 2024 your most (energy) efficient yet:

Green home improvement tips that are free:

Turn your room thermostat down by 1°C

Approximately every 1º you drop the temperature you save 7%. Our customers need only turn down unoccupied rooms by about 4-5º to save upwards of 30% on their energy bill.

Turn your hot water cylinder thermostat down

Every hot water cylinder has its own built-in thermostat which should ideally be set to 60°C. If you have a hot water tank and it's over this level, by reducing it to 60°C your boiler won't have to fire for as long to get your water up to temperature; if it's firing less, it's using less fuel.

Close your curtains

During the day, the sun helps warm rooms, however, when the sun goes down, so does the temperature. Closing your curtains in the evening will help keep the heat inside and reduce any draughts from your windows.

Close internal doors

If you already have individual room control using our Radiator Valves or Underfloor Heating Controls, you will undoubtedly be saving money by not heating unoccupied rooms. By closing internal doors, you will save more money as you will keep the heat in the rooms you're occupying and avoid heating unoccupied spaces.

Turn off lights

Why pay for electricity to light an unoccupied room? Turn the lights out when you leave a room. You could use Genius Smart Plugs for lamps, and Electric Switches for drive lights to improve automation and energy efficiency.

Move to a different energy supplier

By shopping around you could save significantly your bills - you could even switch to a greener supplier! Which? have collated a list of recommended suppliers, and you compare your energy usage with the national average with Switch-Plan.

More Ways To Save Money and Energy:

Insulation

A surprising amount of heat is wasted through your roof, walls, and floors every year if you don’t have adequate insulation. Your priority should be to insulate your roof first, then your walls, and finally your floor. Insulating cavity walls can cost around £500 and save you £105 per year.

Draught Proofing

As above, your house is less efficient due to drafts around doors and windows. Cheap and simple adjustments such as draught excluders or resealing windows could save you roughly £25 a year!

Fix dripping taps

Whilst not strictly energy, it is worth mentioning that dripping taps could fill around two baths with wasted water over the course of a year. By fixing dripping taps, you’re helping the environment, and your wallet!

Upgrading Your Boiler

New condensing boilers could be up to 95% efficient, and heat pumps are increasing in popularity year on year! Although upfront costs can be quite alarming, there are government-backed upgrade schemes available, provided you have completed EPC recommendations.

Smart Heating

No surprises here! By changing traditional heating to smart thermostats and zoning with smart TRVs, you could save upwards of 30% each year! You can also save money with Genius Occupancy Detection: Click Here to Find Out More

As you can see, there are many ways to save money on your energy bill which also help the environment, and don’t cost much (if at all!).
If you decide to give any of these ideas a go, let us know at enquiry@geniushub.co.uk or on our Forum.