Over the years, technological innovation has provided us with some incredible advancements in our everyday lives. From transport to mobile phones, progression in technology has changed the way we live beyond recognition.
Such innovation has now extended to central heating, with British Gas unveiling their ‘Hive’ remote heating control system, and Nest Protect, a smoke alarm that also senses CO2, movement, heat and light and can be monitored using a smartphone or tablet. This article will take a look at the new technologies available in the central heating industry, detailing what the best innovations are and why.
Hive – British Gas
Hive is described by British Gas as ‘next-generation remote heating control’. It allows you to adjust your central heating and your hot water settings from your phone, tablet or web browser. Hive works using a wireless receiver situated next to the boiler and a wireless thermostat that is placed on the wall as normal.
These two devices, coupled with a hub attached to your internet router allow you to manage your central heating from your personal wireless device, even allowing you to set a schedule for your heating and hot water. As well as working under your control, Hive can also work autonomously: if the temperature in your home drops below 7 degrees, Hive will increase the warmth in your home to prevent your pipes freezing up.
Nest Protect/Learning Thermostat – Nest
Nest’s new offerings span both fire safety and central heating. Their ‘Protect’ smoke and CO2 alarm can detect smoke and CO2 as well as movement, heat and light. However, their other creation, the ‘Learning Thermostat’ is a highly intelligent device that manages your heating based on patterns in the way you use it.
For example, if you have the heating turned off whilst you’re at work but like to relax in a warm home when you return, the Learning Thermostat will manage the heating while you’re out and then warm the house up for when you come back. It will also display a leaf symbol if you are using your heating in an efficient way; helping to guide homeowners to savings on their energy bills.
Intuition – OWL
OWL’s energy monitoring solutions come in different varieties;
- Micro – A small, battery powered energy monitor that helps keep track of your energy consumption throughout your home. Its modern styling and minimal design means it can fit anywhere in your home while still providing you with accurate and helpful updates on your energy efficiency.
- USB – Another battery-powered energy monitor, a clever feature for this particular device is the USB connection; the device can be plugged into your PC or laptop and energy consumption data can be uploaded, giving you a detailed view of the energy consumption in your home.
- Intuition range – This range of energy monitoring systems allow you to view your energy consumption in real time from your laptop, smartphone or tablet. The Intuition range and its variants cater for energy consumption from a variety of sources including solar power, industrial applications and normal electricity. The range also offers two residential boiler control devices, replacing traditional thermostats with ‘simple push button’ devices. The user is able to connect these devices to their Internet where they can access their boiler controls on their laptop or web browser.
While these new inventions are no doubt a brilliant way to keep track of your energy consumption, if your boiler is not working as it should then your efficiency levels will not make good reading. Here at VHL, we have over 20 years of experience in boiler installation.
Our expert engineers who work across London, including Harrow and Notting Hill are highly trained in the installation of boilers from all leading manufacturers, offering free estimates and professional, friendly and efficient service. Whether you need a replacement boiler or a brand new system, with VHL you are in the safest of hands, so get in touch with us today to see what we can do for you.