Which Is The Best Smart Heating Control in Ireland?

By David Tait Reviewed by Cormac Breen

Editorial Manager

The best smart heating control systems are available from Tado, Netatmo and Google Nest. This is based on the pricing, features, reviews and usability of each smart thermostat. When purchasing a new smart thermostat, it is recommended to compare the products that are available on the market to find one that suits both your budget, and your home heating needs.

Which Is the Best Smart Heating Control System?

The best smart heating control systems for energy saving are available from Tado, Netatmo and Google Nest. This is based on the pricing, features, reviews and usability of each smart thermostat.

While there is no one size fits all solution, to determine which is the best smart heating control system, we have compared the different brands in the following four categories:

• Pricing
• Features
• Appearance
• Apps

Let's look at the results of how each brand ranks under each of these categories. These will be the brands that'll be looking at:

1. Nest
2. Hive
3. Netatmo
4. Tado

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What Are the Main Smart Heating Control Features?

Here are the more important features of a smart heating control you will want to compare:

1. Text control
   With this feature, you can turn your heating on or off via SMS.
2. Autoadapt
   Your thermostat will use the outside temperature and what it has learned about your insulation to automatically adapt the heat required to get to the set temperature.
3. Smart Schedule
   The heating control tracks your habits, similar to other smart gadgets, to know when to turn on and off your heating.
4. Open Window Detection
   This option turns off your heating in a room where a window is open to improve energy efficiency at home.
5. Geofencing
   Geofencing allows your smart heating control to tell if anyone is home by tracking the GPS location of users’ mobiles.
6. Hot Water
   You’ll have some control over your hot water, depending on the thermostat. Some just allow you to turn it on, while others allow you to set the temperature.
7. Multi-Zone Heating
   Allows you to control different heating zones of your home, to avoid heating up rooms you’re not using. Useful when working from home.
8. Compatibility
   If the thermostat is compatible with Google and Alexa home assistants.

The table below compares each thermostat based on which features it does and doesn't have, helping you to make a better comparison:

What Are the Smart Heating Controls Prices?

Smart heating controls range in price from €150 to €300 depending on the size and functions available on each heating control.

Below you will find a table that gives a general overview of the prices:

What Is the Best Smart Heating Control Appearance?

While the appearance of your smart heating control doesn’t tend to come first to mind when considering making a purchase, it is important in terms of how user-friendly it is ensuring that you get the most from your purchase.

Hive Thermostat

The Hive is a size that is more or less on a par with a normal thermostat, at 10cm by 10cm. It has a glossy black screen on which three buttons are placed and a dial. The placement of the dial regarding the screen makes it really easy to see whether you’re turning the temperature up or down.

Functionality without the app is moderate, you’ll need to use your mobile to change the more complicated settings, so we’ll give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Verdict ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Nest Thermostat

The Google Nest smart heating control is small and comapct at a mere 8.4cm in diameter, with a pared-down glossy black display, it manages to look high-tech yet simple at the same time. It can be mounted on the wall or with a stand on a shelf.

Despite its simple appearance, no functionality has been sacrificed. You can click on the outer ring and turn it to navigate settings and options.

We give it 5 stars for its smaller size and beautiful design, and clever workaround using the outer frame as a dial to preserve functionality without introducing buttons and dials on the display.

Verdict ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Netatmo Thermostat

The Netatmo’s design is, well, quite basic. As is its functionality. Without the app, there is very little you can do with this buttonless dial-less thermostat, apart from boost the temperature temporarily.

There has been a very basic attempt at personalization, where you get five coloured stickers with it that you can stick on the back section to give a little colour to the outer transparent square.

If you prefer using an app with your thermostat and are looking for a smart home heating control that won’t really stand out much more than a normal thermostat, the Netatmo is a good choice.

Verdict ⭐⭐⭐

Tado Thermostat

At 8.9cm x 5.2cm it’s nearly small enough to rival the Nest, and an advantage it has over the other thermostats is its depth - a mere 5.2cm, designed to blend in more seamlessly at wall-level.

Its light-up display and simple up and down arrows along with a button provide some much-needed functionality.

Verdict ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What Are the Smart Heating Control Apps Like?

Most of the functionality of your shiny new smart thermostat cannot be easily accessed without using an app, so it is quite important.

Let’s see how each of the main brands rank in this department.

Hive Thermostat App

The Hive thermostat app has an average rating of 4.2 across both the Google and Apple app store with most customer satisfied with its functionality and effectiveness:

Nest Thermostat App

Similarly, the Nest app also receives positive reviews with an average rating of 4.4 across both app stores for its versatility and ease of use:

Netatmo Thermostat App

The Netatmo app has an average of almost 4 stars across both app stores, with customers highlighting its ease of use and dependability:

Tado Thermostat App

The Tado app has the highest average rating across both app stores at 4.5 with customers praising its functionality and features:

Best Smart Heating Control: The Verdict

After comparing the five smart home heating controls, we came to the conclusion that there is no one-size-fits-all thermostat, and it very much depends on whether the appearance, features, app or price point are more important to you.

Here is a quick summary of each brand:

• The Google Nest
  The Google Nest is compact with a ton of features, has a respectable price-point of €239, and a very well rated app.
• The Netatmo Thermostat
  Its design may be very basic, as are its features, but it actually does what it is supposed to do, all the time. No app downtime or disconnection from your boiler, at the cheapest price of €180.
• The Tado Thermostat
  The Tado hits it out of the ballpark on most fronts: A sleek design, a wide range of functionality including working with Apple HomeKit and a great app.
• The Hive Thermostat
  Though it's attractive, has plenty of features, it has a poorly performing app which is a vital part of a smart heating system.