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I've got my heating engineer booked in to install the Wiser smart heating system - for us it'll mean draining the system, updating the rads that currently have no TRVs, then installing the Wiser kit.
For anyone else who's had this done, does the heating engineer set up the account on the app during the process, then kind of hands it over to you when they're finished? Or will I need to be on hand at some point with my phone, to do this (thereby keeping log in details private) and run through the set up of the installed kit with the engineer?
If anything like nest or hive (both of which I have use) the system can be controlled at the thermostat. That should include any daily programming needed. You then connect with the app when you are ready. No need for the engineer to know the login details unless you want them to.
it's not! The "thermostat" offers no control except a boost button, everything is via the app or the (optional) per-room standalone thermostats.If anything like nest or hive
You'd need to be there to connect all the TRVs to your account via the app if you want the engineer to check everything's working properly (otherwise he could just install them and then you can add them to the app & calibrate them yourself later, which is very simple just takes a bit of time if you have a lot of TRVs!)
My thermostat just broke. It's a simple wireless unit on the wall, programmed for every day, with a receiver attached to the combi that turns it on.
If I have a routine 'in the house daily till 8am and from 5pm' why would I need to go for aything more complex?
Depends on how helpful the fitter is I expect!
This aside You’ll need to download the app and set up an account but they should walk you through the pairing of the unit to your account.
By TRVs do you mean the WiFi wiser TRVs (pricey) or the standard manual dumb TRVs..?
If you’ve paid them for wiser TRVs I’d expect them to walk you through adding them to the app including how to set up times and temperatures.
One point to note about wiser is that the 2 channel version (system boiler and zone valves) it isn’t opentherm compatible, only the 1 channel one (combi) is
Ok, thanks. Sounds then like the heating engineer can install the kit without the need to set up anything account wise on the app - that can be left to me post install of hardware.
By TRVs do you mean the WiFi wiser TRVs (pricey) or the standard manual dumb TRVs..?
If you’ve paid them for wiser TRVs I’d expect them to walk you through adding them to the app including how to set up times and temperatures.
Yes the 'smart' Wiser TRVs. I've bought the kit myself, ready for installing, but was just a bit unsure as to the steps/order concerning wifi connection and app integration (which I'd prefer to sort myself for ease).
Overthinking it I expect!
I found the app is pretty straight forward to set up and link the hub. Whilst manual override is an option, In order to commission the new hub, I think you need to link the hub into an account and then tell it to fire up etc, so I’d say they will likely need you at that point..
Depending on how big your house is/how well WiFi travels you might need the Drayton WiFi boosters. I found the signal pretty good, including for a trv in a ‘shed’ so haven’t needed them.
Have any of those with the Drayton system found it worthwhile? Have you had a measurable reduction in your gas usage as a result?
I think there are too many variables to get a meaningful answer on whether the gas saved will outweigh the installation cost since it will depend on things like, how many rads you have as the TRVs are expensive. How many rooms you have that you regularly use at different times of day. Eg. If you’ve got a big house and want to heat just the study every day or if you just want to turn the bath room towel radiator on to dry towels. Plus how you use it or the previous system such as turning down TRVs in rooms not used very often.
In terms of “worth it” it could be used to warm the bath room towels when the heating might otherwise be off. Or to keep a kids room above a certain temperature at night when a standard heating setup would be off every where.
You don't need to drain down the system to install. At least I did not.
The TRVs just swap over.
You don’t need to drain down the system to install. At least I did not.
The TRVs just swap over.
Some of our rads don't have standard TRVs, so work required before we get to the point of being able to fit the Wiser TRVs.
One point to note about wiser is that the 2 channel version (system boiler and zone valves) it isn’t opentherm compatible, only the 1 channel one (combi) is
Argh! Very frustrating though glad I stumbled across this now rather than realising after buying it. Was about to go for the Drayton for exactly the same reason that Tado is not open therm compatible on the hot water/system version.
Not sure if anyone does an open therm compatible thermostat for a system boiler that has radiator valves?! I could go with a Nest and zone valves but buying multiple Nest's and getting valves fitted is a mega expensive way of doing it versus sticking on a few TVRs.
If I have a routine ‘in the house daily till 8am and from 5pm’ why would I need to go for aything more complex?
If you want to heat all of your rooms at the same time every day, then you don't need anything more than a timer and some simple TRVs.
I don't think most of us fit that use case, which is where smart tech comes in.
The company that installed mine told me it was opentherm compatible. Only for me to find out awhile later that it wasn’t.
Feels like it should be possible with a software fix as it clearly knows when it’s got the valves set for hot water and when they’re set for heating and could then instruct the boiler accordingly. I’m no heating engineer though!
I think it may do some form of modulation as you approach the set temperature but is limited as you have to have the boiler temp at least as hot as you want for the cylinder which might be much hotter than you want for radiators.
I've recently took the plunge into the smart TRV world but we already had dumb ones fitted so it was a relatively simple job for me to be. personally I'd be letting him do the wet work and I'd be setting to the app side of things myself.
installed mine before our first winter at our new place so nothing to compare against, there must surely be a reduction though, as often we're just heating a single room (plus the bathroom where the bypass rad is) rather than the whole house!Have any of those with the Drayton system found it worthwhile? Have you had a measurable reduction in your gas usage as a result?
All installed and up and running. As hoped, he installed all the hardware, and then it was over to me to run through the set up process on the app (though he didn't leave until this was done and ensured everything was working and calling for heat as it should).
Impressed with the Wiser system so far, and if you're sad like me, it's good fun refining the schedules for each room/zone based on our daily activity, routines etc.
Temperature now under control, along with humidity thanks to dehumidifier purchase. Just need to remember to open the windows regularly for a change of air!
if you're [I]really[/I] nerdy they publish an API which allows you or a home automation system to adjust the heating & scheduling dynamically. I'm slowly trying to implement a "fuzzy logic" style system which requires less manual control (purely for fun really). At the moment in our "office" if the Mrs hasn't left the house by 8am & it's a weekday [I]and[/I] she hasn't booked a day off in the Google calendar then the heating in that room will come on automatically for 9! 😃Impressed with the Wiser system so far, and if you’re sad like me, it’s good fun refining the schedules for each room/zone based on our daily activity, routines etc.
Feels like it should be possible with a software fix as it clearly knows when it’s got the valves set for hot water and when they’re set for heating and could then instruct the boiler accordingly. I’m no heating engineer though!
I emailed them about it, they said they are working on a fix for it, but couldn't share timescales for when it might be ready.
At the moment in our “office” if the Mrs hasn’t left the house by 8am & it’s a weekday and she hasn’t booked a day off in the Google calendar then the heating in that room will come on automatically for 9!
Clever automation. My workaround here for same scenario is to have a schedule in the app for the 'office' set for weekdays, but I have a 'Moment' created as an override (drops minimum temp to 15.5 as opposed to 17.5) that I flick on if she's not working at home. Relies on me remembering to press the button though.