Country Homes & Interiors – September 2019

TheNetatmoSmart

Thermostat(seeright

fordetails)includesa

discreetwireless

controllerdesigned

by Philippe Starck

nEASILYCONNECTEDSmartthermostatsconnect

yourcentralheatingboilertoanapp,soyoucaneasily

createdetailedschedulesandevencontrolheating

remotely,savingyougasandmoney.Thesmart

thermostatfixestoyourboilerinplaceoftheexisting

homethermostat;youcandoit yourselforsome

systemsofferprofessionalfittingfora smallfee.

nCONTROLWIRELESSLYA smartphoneappletsyou

scheduleorcontroltheheatingfromanywhere.For

example,turntheheatingdownto‘frost’settingwhile

you’reawayona winterholiday,thentell your home to

warmupthedayyou’reduehome.

nDISCREETCONTROLYouusuallygettwogadgets:

onethatconnectstotheboilerandthena separate

thermostat(withdisplayandcontrols)youcanplace

whereit’seasytoread.Aswithanythermostat,

somewherecentraltoyourhomeis good.

nCLEVERADD-ONSSomesystemsalsoletyouadd

thermostatstoyourradiatorsthatconnectwirelessly,

sothetemperatureineachroomcanbecontrolled

individually.Programmedtosuityourfamily’sneeds,

it saves energy by only using it when you need it.

BESTFOR

INTELLIGENCE

LearningThermostat,£219,Nest

Nestis ownedbyGoogle,soitsAndroidappworksbrilliantly

withthisandotherNestdevices,includingsecuritycameras,

doorbellsandsmokealarms.Youcanalsocommandit

withiPhone,andbyvoicewithAmazonAlexaand

GoogleAssistant.TheLearningThermostatcan

controlhotwateraswellascentralheating.Its

intelligenceis outstanding:it candetectyour

preferredtemperaturestocreateitsown

scheduleandknowswhenyou’reout(via

sensors,plusyourphone’slocation)andturns

theheatingdown.Theroundwireless

controlleris availableinwhite,black,stainless

steelorcopper.Anextra£60 flat fee buys

professional installation.

BESTFOR

PEACE OFMIND

HiveActiveHeating,£179,Hive

Thefactit’sownedbyBritishGas,andthat£70extra

buysyouprofessionalinstallationfroma BritishGas

engineer,is reassuringtonewcomerstosmart

homes.Hiveworksjustlikeothersmartthermostats,

inthatit letsyouuseanapptocontrol central

heatingandhotwater.Unusually,

youneedthreedevices:the

thermostat,thereceiverthat

attachestoyourboileranda hub

forwirelesscommunication.

Youcanalsocontrolit byvoice

withAmazonAlexaand

Google Assistant.

MONEY-SAVING

SMART THERMOSTAT

TAKECONTROLOFYOURHEATING(ANDTHEMONEYYOUSPENDONIT)

BY INSTALLING ONE OF THESE HANDY ENERGY-MANAGING GADGETS

FEATURE

CARAMEL QUIN

BESTFOR

VALUE

SmartThermostat,£149.99,Netatmo

Anaffordablesmartthermostatthatoffersappand

voicecontrolofyourcentralheating.Yougettwo

gadgets:thewiredrelayconnectstotheboiler,while

thewirelessthermostatgoesanywhereanddisplays

andcontrolstemperature.It workswithAmazon

Alexa,GoogleAssistantandApple HomeKit (for Siri

voicecontrol).Youcaneven

controlit withFacebook

messages.Installationis a DIY

jobinlessthananhourorthere

arerecommendedlocal

installers,butnotfora fixedfee.

Youcanaddindividualsmart

radiator controls (£69.99 each).

Buy the best...

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