This is a post closer to home. In fact it is my home!
Our house, in Edenbridge, Kent.
Our house in Edenbridge, Kent is heated by an Archie Kidd (Thermal) Ltd oil fired boiler, and has around 26 radiators. It was built in 1894 and heating it is an expensive business, because our insulation is hard to improve.
In 2005 we installed Honeywell Hometronic. This is a system that uses remote control radiator valves to divide the house into 16 areas of controlled heating. This enabled us to reduce the heating level in rooms we weren’t using in the day, but warm them in the evening, for example. This saved energy, in fact Honeywell reckon up to 40% of the home heating consumption can be saved if it is used sensibly.
We went on to install Hometronic for customers all over the South East, in houses both large and small. We have over 3000 radiators under Hometronic control! We are the largest domestic heating installer of Hometronic in the UK.
Since installing our first Hometronic radiator control system in 2005, it has been one of those products our customers have been delighted with, prompting one to write last year (2013);
Subject: Hometronic Problem
Actually not a problem at all; I just know that’s a good way to get your attention!
But quite seriously, I thought you should know that whilst your system performed wonderfully during winter, during this variable spring weather I have come to appreciate it even more. Whatever temperature has been thrown at us – too cold or too hot – I have never had to think about the heating once (you know the old “Shall I switch the heating on?” “No; it might get too hot later” etc etc routine).
One of the best house purchases I have ever made.
Thanks Simon.
Anyway, back to this Gallery post. In 2011 Honeywell ‘s German division launched a black and white touchscreen product called Evohome Mono. This was sold by Honeywell UK, and worked in a similar way to Hometronic using the same radiator actuators. We installed some of the Evohome Monos in 2012/2013 – while continuing to offer the Hometronic version for more sophisticated requirements.
The big news is that in February2014 Honeywell launches Evohome Colour, replacing Evohome Mono. We have a pre-launch Evohome Colour in my house (supplied to us for Christmas by Honeywell UK ), together with full iPhone control – and it is fabulous.
Jacqui with our new Colour Evohome controller
I can’t stop myself showing everyone the iPhone control! I have now been banned from our local newsagent.
The iPhone control for our house (multiple phones can have control over the same property) showing a few of the 12 zones. The coloured box shows the target temperature, the black writing is the actual temperature in the zone.
The ease of use is vastly improved over all the other versions, and it controls 12 zones of heating, which must be enough for nearly everyone. To go with the latest Evohome there is a new smaller, neater radiator controller (HR92). This is similarly sized to a conventional TRV.
NB: The previous radiator actuators (called HR80) also work with the new Evohome, if you fancy upgrading the controller.
We are now carrying out installations of the new Colour Evohome, including a Grade 2 and a Grade 2* listed property, both of which will shortly appear on this page. We will shortly have a demo colour Evohome system in my vehicle so you can see it working.
If you want to try the app, it is called ‘Home Comfort Connect’, and it’s on the Apple app store (free).
NB: We often get asked the difference between these systems and the British Gas ‘Hive’; Hive is a single house thermostat that is Wi-Fi enabled, so can be accessed via a Smartphone.
It can’t control separate zones, or divide a house into areas to improve comfort and save energy. So it treats a house as one entity and the central heating is either all on, or all off.
Although the advertising suggests Hive is a unique new development, companies such as Heatmiser, Salus and Nest amongst others would point out they they were at least a year earlier to market. And we would point out that we were putting in iPhone connected Hometronic systems in 2010 with 16 controllable zones, plus hot water, secondary circulation pumps, air handling units, immersion heaters etc.
