Smart heating and smart home

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Smart heaters are ultimately interactive in nature. They can send and receive information to and from the user, communicate with other appliances in the house and even with the outside world, such as installers and energy utilities.

Smart heating puts consumers in the driver’s seat. Thanks to its integrated communication device, a smart heater allows you to adjust the heating of your building to your needs and even to control it remotely. For example, allowing you to switch on your heating towards the end of your commute, so your home is already comfortable from the moment you arrive. Smart heating systems also enable so-called ‘remote appliance monitoring’ that allow your installer or service company to provide timely and pro-active maintenance to end-users, allowing them to enjoy uninterrupted heating comfort in their homes.

Smart heating is good for the environment. Smart controls help to boost the efficiency of a heating system, generating high energy savings. These systems also help to integrate renewable electricity from the grid, for example by setting your preferences to prioritise electricity consumption when renewable electricity is more abundant. This is most easily achieved with appliances like hybrid heat pumps, electric heat pumps and hot water storage tanks. With all these appliances, it is possible to anticipate or delay the time when they use electricity. For example, one could use a heat pump to heat a well-insulated house before arriving home, and still enjoy a warm living space for several hours.

Another example would be to use a hybrid heat pump in electric mode when electricity is more abundant and economic, switching to the integrated boiler when it gets too expensive. Users could also opt to heat water with the back-up resistance of a a well-insulated storage tank (power-to-heat) when electricity is cheap, and to use the hot water whenever it is needed.

Smart heating will be an integral part of the ‘smart homes’ revolution. The many different appliances inside a building (e.g.: heating and cooling systems, ventilation, fridges, electric vehicles), will be able to coordinate their operation, optimising comfort and bringing energy efficiency gains for consumers.

Benefits

  • Boost efficiency, generating high energy savings.
  • Help to integrate renewable electricity from the grid: for example, setting the smart heater to prioritise electricity consumption when it is more abundant.
  • Can be controlled remotely and easily adapt to consumer’s needs.
  • Combinable with all modern heating technologies and renewable energies.