With the rise in the price of gas and electricity, one area homeowners have become more conscious about is the amount of power they use. The central heating and hot water systems in most homes can account for a large percentage of energy use and controlling this can make savings, sometimes substantial ones. This has led to the rise of the smart thermostat with Nest and their new Nest PRO models being at the forefront of the tech. As newly approached Nest PRO installers, we decided to take a look at how the system works and why it is a benefit.
The benefits of smart thermostats
The original Nest thermostat was released in 2011 and since then, the company estimates that it has saved over eight billion kWh of energy across the millions of homes around the world that it now operates in. But how do smart thermostats save you money?
The key part of the phrase is ‘smart’ and just like any other smart technology, the Nest PRO can learn about you, your daily patterns and can adjust your heating accordingly. For example, most people like to wake to a warm house but don’t mind things being a little cooler during the day while no-one is home. The thermostat will learn your schedule and, paired with location recognition of your smartphone, will know when you are home or at work.
The tech needs just one week of you programming in your desired schedules and it will adjust accordingly. But you can also control it from the smartphone app – so if you finish work earlier than expected, you can turn up the heating so the house is nice and warm when you get in. You can also use the system to control hot water and if you are going away and forget to turn off the hot water, you can do it from the app.
What boilers does Nest work with?
While this is a relatively new and advanced technology, it doesn’t mean that you need to use a new and advanced boiler system with it.
For example, the 2nd generation Nest can work with:
- Combi boilers
- System and heat only boilers
- Air and ground source heat pumps
- Biomass boilers
It can also function with hydronic underfloor systems and zoned heating systems as well as both high voltage and volt-free systems.
The third generation of the tech can also work with domestic hot water tanks and OpenTherm-enabled heating systems. All Nest thermostats can help condensing boilers – the most efficient on the market – become even more efficient.
The thermostat will even provide information about how much energy you use and a little leaf symbol on the display tells you that there are ways to save even more money through adjusting settings.
Enjoy the benefits
DHS is a boiler repairs Bristol company, who are now accredited as Nest PRO installers. This means we have been through training with Nest themselves to ensure we can fit the thermostats and ensure our customers enjoy the maximum benefits that these smart systems have to offer. If you’d like more information on the Nest thermostat, get in touch with us by filling in our contact form or you can call us.
Unit 2 Septimus Buildings 
