Countless sci-fi films have painted a vivid picture of the automated home; lights, window blinds and music responding seamlessly as the hero returns home to his futuristic bachelor pad.  But for those of us who aren’t millionaires, this dream has remained elusive: even the most ‘affordable’ systems can easily run into thousands of pounds.  But there’s one category of home automation technology that’s better than affordable, or even free – you could easily be quids-in!

What, somebody’s going to pay you to install a fancy home cinema and pipe music into every room of your home?  Not quite.  But smart heating control systems not only make your life more convenient by allowing you to control your heating from anywhere (even from bed), it can save so much on your energy bills that the technology can typically pay for itself in a year or two – and save thousands in its lifetime.

They all allow you to schedule your heating so it’s off when the house is empty, and the best systems save more by switching off individual rooms when you’re not there.  Heat Genius even goes one step further and uses motion sensors to automatically schedule your heating, so you don’t have to do a thing.

Does your boiler make rattling noises, or are your radiators cold at the bottom?

These are signs that your central system might be suffering from a buildup of iron oxide ‘sludge’.  This happens because radiators corrode internally, over time.  The corrosion will move around your central heating pipes and can really affect the energy efficiency of your boiler.  The solution is to clean and drain your system, for example by getting it  “powerflushed”.  This your system makes sure that your radiators heat up properly, and that your boiler is performing at top efficiency, cutting your bills.

Of course, if you’re boiler’s not an efficient model then there’s only so much that cleaning can achieve.  It might be worth considering getting a new condensing boiler installed.  If you’re in receipt of certain benefits and have a boiler that’s over 8 years old, you might be eligible for a free boiler under the “ECO” scheme.  Even if you’re not, it could still be a sound investment.

Why not get these things done to your heating system at the same time as installing intelligent heating controls?  We’ll send out a qualified plumber to install the system, and they’ll be able to do any other work you need at the same time.  You only pay for the extra work, not for any call-out charges, so it can work out much cheaper – especially as we’re currently offering free installation!  Just give a member of our friendly team a call on the number below and they’ll be happy to get a quote for you.

Making sure your system is well maintained, efficient and intelligently controlled ensure’s it’s giving you maximum comfort with the minimum of energy cost – so seize the spring and use the mild weather to get ready for whatever next winter brings!

Every company will tell you that their product is great – and we’re no exception!  We truly believe that Heat Genius is a great way to save energy and bring your heating bills under control, by only heating each room when you need it.

But hey, we’re biased.  Wouldn’t you rather hear direct from one of our customers, and hear what their experience of Heat Genius has been?

Our customer Adam Burgess spoke to technology review site Recombu.  He told them that Heat Genius has helped him control his heating more effectively, making his home more comfortable without using loads of energy:

“The problem I had was that I couldn’t get control of my heating with just the thermostatic radiator valves that were here when I bought the house.  One room was too cold while another was too warm, and the boiler was struggling too, because I have a small boiler…

I’m using Heat Genius to finally gain control and ensure that the costs stay low.”

Watch the video and read the review on Recombu.com

Would you like a bit more technical detail?  You’ll find plenty in the wonderfully extensive article that our customer Johannes Jensson wrote for Automated Home:

“I installed my own system – yes it took me much longer than it would take a professionally trained HG installer because I had to read the instructions manual first. Still, I found the system can be installed quickly and easily.

Measuring the use of gas when operating with the new Heat Genius TRV Controllers I estimate that I am now saving somewhere between 43-46%. This might sound a lot but it is as near as I can work it out. My house was well insulated to start with, but buying the Heat Genius System is still one of the best investments I’ve made. People with poorly insulated homes should save even more.”

We like to think our system is bomb-proof, but we have to admit – we’ve never tried subjecting it to explosives.  But our customer Christine White can confirm that’s it’s lightning proof, after what happened to her home recently!

“It was a Saturday afternoon and I was visiting a friend for the weekend. I left the house with some trepidation as the weather looked to be turning into quite a nasty thunderstorm. We’d had several over the previous few weeks.

I returned late on the Sunday afternoon and was surprised to find I had no television signal. Next I realised I had no hot water or heating, and the final straw was to discover I had no internet either!  My neighbours told me the next day that our little row of cottages had been hit by intense lightening; they described how frightening it had been with flame-red lightning bolts striking all around.  No home had escaped some kind of damage.

The next day I managed to get a replacement TV aerial and the engineer showed me the burn mark down the shaft which had nearly split it in two.  The massive electric shocks that had hit my house had taken out my BT fibre-optic broadband box and the motherboard on my boiler, on my computer an ethernet connection had been lost and both of my printers developed faults.   But my Heat Genius system?  That was still working fine.  As soon as I got the boiler fixed, everything just sprang into life again. What a relief!”

So there you have it: proof that Heat Genius will stay reliable, whatever happens. Though please don’t try giving your Heat Genius electric shocks, it upsets our support team!

As the weather turns chilly, everyone’s minds have been turning to heating – magazine editors included.  Many publications have been looking in more detail at how high-tech smart heating controls can help cut energy bills.

We’re delighted to have been mentioned in several articles from major publications recently.  They’re an interesting read, so we thought we should share them with you!

 

First up, Matt Egan did a hands-on review of Heat Genius for PC Advisor magazine and was impressed at how much functionality our system offers:

“Heat Genius lets you do a lot, with a relatively small amount of hardware. Between the various Eco modes, the timer, overrides and even the smart plugs this system is a true smart home system. It just needs to draw the curtains and put out the bins to have the full ‘Tomorrow’s World’ feel. I’m really impressed with Heat Genius.”

Tech Advisor did a comparision of 7 of the Best Smart Heating Controllers.

They compared our system with Heatmiser Neo, Honeywell Lyric, NetAtmo, Tado, Nest and Hive – but ultimately they decided that Heat Genius is the best you can buy and gave us 1st place!

“Heat Genius is very good at a very useful thing. It is easy to use and efficient, and over time it will save you the cost of installation. And it is fairly priced… It’s a great product, and if you are looking to install a zoned smart heating system, we’re happy to recommend Heat Genius.”

 

 

According to Good to be Home, the Heat Genius system is “ideal for busy families and households as it enables you to adjust the temperature of each different room in your home, which stops you from heating rooms that you aren’t using.The smart system even detects when you open a window or door and turns your heating off, so you don’t waste energy.”

And it doesn’t end there – Heat Genius will make its TV debut later in December!  Stay tuned for more details.

Have a read of these articles and see whether Heat Genius sounds like a good option for you!

You can also find out more details by browsing our web site and if you’ve still got questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch, we’ll be happy to help you!

If you want to hear about articles like these as soon as its published, and other interesting Heat Genius news, be sure to like our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter.

Pass it on: You can win a free Heat Genius system!

Got a friend who would enjoy using a Heat Genius smart heating control system?

Don’t keep it to yourself: we’ve teamed up with PC Advisor magazine to run a competition for a Heat Genius system with Hot Water Control worth over £350.

According to Fuel Poverty Action, more than 10,000 people died from the impacts of fuel poverty in 2012/2013. Millions more struggled to pay their bills, top up their prepayment meters, and were bullied by energy companies because they owed them money they couldn’t pay.

Why are so many people struggling to heat their homes?  Largely because they’re so poorly insulated.  According to UK Government statics, a shockingly tiny 5% of Britain’s 2.3 million fuel poor homes meet a basic C grade of energy efficiency.  Homes that only achieve an F or G rating can be spending £1000 a year more on energy!

The stumbling block is that insulating some homes can be very expensive. Insulating solid walls, which are common in homes built before 1919, can cost up to to £25,000, according to the Energy Savings Trust.  For many people, especially those in fuel poverty, that’s a significant investment.

Affordable finance is absolutely crucial. In theory that’s where the Green Deal should help, yet it’s still not working.  So far only 3,239 households have signed up for Green Deal Finance.

In the meantime, smart thermostats could offer immediate savings for the worst affected.  The savings are greatest in old, poorly insulated homes where all or part of the home is often empty.  Zoned systems such as Heat Genius allow control over each room individually, allowing energy savings whenever any room is unoccupied.