Having an automated home is the dream of every IT and technology expert: a home that automatically adapts to the external climate and is able to intelligently control both the heating (in the winter months) and the air conditioning (in the summer periods), by moving very few keys or in many cases without ever having to press anything! If we think that building a temperature control system in the home is a feat for a select few, you are wrong: in this guide we will show you how to automate the heating and air conditioning of the home using simple home automation devices such as smart thermostats and valves, which can be easily controlled via an app on the phone At the end of the guide we will have everything necessary to create a house with the ideal climate at all times of the year, automatically controlled by an app, saving on the energy bill.
READ ALSO -> Best Smart Home devices connected in WiFi at home
Home automation for autonomous heating with smart thermostat
In most of our homes we will find a gas boiler (natural gas or LPG) designed for heating radiators and hot water; obviously this boiler will hardly be so new as to have Internet connectivity or other automated control systems. But in this the law helps us: in fact in all houses it is mandatory to have an ambient thermostat to be able to regulate the internal temperature according to the time of year.
From our boiler then two simple wires (usually red) will start, which will be positioned in a small wall housing inside the house (usually very close to the wall where the boiler is present): these are the control wires of the thermostat .
These two wires are positioned inside the thermostat, which works exactly like a relay: when the environmental conditions or the program set on the thermostat require the boiler to be turned on, the circuit closes (passes the current), the boiler turns on and starts heating the radiators. Conversely, when these conditions cease, the circuit opens (no more current flows) and the boiler shuts down.
The simplest thermostats allow you to turn the heating on and off with a button, via a stopwatch at times and days of the week (chronothermostat) or by setting a minimum temperature in the house (when we go below this temperature the radiators will always turn on). Obviously the "old" methods always require a minimum of control by the user, otherwise the thermostat "goes too far" and turns on the radiators even when we go to sleep or there is nobody in the house.
To give a little home automation to the heating system, we recommend buying a smart thermostat like the one sold here -> Decdeal Wi-Fi Thermostat for Gas Boiler (€ 40).
By purchasing this thermostat and connecting it to the two control wires of the boiler we will have a little gem of home automation: with it we can set the desired temperature during the working week or weekend, turn on the radiators manually and remotely control temperature and ignition boiler via the dedicated app for Android or iOS, via Google Home, via Amazon Alexa or via IFTTT .
The configuration is very simple: we create an account from the specific app and connect the thermostat to our Wi-Fi network, then we use the scenario functions offered by the app itself to recreate the desired conditions (we can also rely on external weather conditions).
Alternatively, we can configure Google Home, Amazon Alexa or IFTTT and also enable voice commands: simply find the "Smart Life" service and associate it with one of the routines that can be configured with these assistants.
READ ALSO: How to control the heating with Amazon Echo and Alexa
If we want other types of Smart thermostats, we can see the best ones from the list below:
- tado ° Smart Thermostat (123 €)
- BTicino Smarther Thermostat (148 €)
- Netatmo by Starck (€ 162)
- Nest Thermostat (249 €)
Whichever thermostat we choose we will have compatibility with all the home automation services already mentioned and exclusive control via the app, we just have to choose the model that convinces us the most.
If we have a different heating system (radiant, pellet stove etc.), it is always best to contact a plumber to find out the limits of your system and find out if it is possible to place other types of smart thermostats (like this one).
To deepen the discussion on home automation, we refer you to reading our articles.
- How IFTTT works to automate messages and control home automation
- What Google Home can do: voice assistant, music and home automation
- Functions of the Amazon Echo, what it is used for and what it does
Home automation for central heating (Thermostatic Valves)
If we live in a condominium with central heating, we will hardly be able to adequately manage the heating and consequently energy consumption, given that the boiler is unique for the whole building. In these cases we can remedy using intelligent thermostatic valves.
Thermostatic valves are small devices to be placed in the hot water inlet tap inside the radiator: when we reach the desired temperature in the room, they block the flow of hot water thus keeping the radiator at the desired temperature.
These devices allow you to save a lot of energy, because they allow the boiler to send more hot water only in the colder radiators or that we have set to a higher temperature, avoiding the radiators that are already at temperature (in the hottest, small or crowded rooms) . If we already have thermostatic valves, we can interface them with these devices (which actually open and close the valve automatically), connected via Wi-Fi to a central unit (synchronized with the thermostat) or managed via app or voice commands thanks to Google Home and Amazon Alexa.
The best automatic and smart valves that we can buy are:
- Eve Thermo Thermostatic Valve (68 €)
- Tado ° Smart Thermostatic Valve (122 €)
- Netatmo NVP-IT Basic Kit (184 €)
Operation and assembly is quite simple: the previous control unit is removed, the appropriate adapter for the new head is positioned and the new thermostatic valve is inserted. If we do not have thermostatic valves already positioned or we are unable to hook those choices, we strongly recommend that you contact a plumber, so that we can position these devices correctly.
Home automation for cooling, air conditioning and air conditioning
When we talk about air conditioners, there are already many models on the market that offer Wi-Fi connectivity or control via app: if we are among the lucky owners of these models we will not have to do anything else, already having everything available.
If, on the other hand, we have an old air conditioning system, we must first of all check if the control wires are available: in this case they can be either two (as for the boiler) or four or 7 (based on the electrical wires provided for the air conditioner control).
Once we understand how our air conditioner works, we can use one of the following thermostats to manage this type of equipment.
- Beca Serie 002 Air conditioner thermostat (30 €)
- Decdeal BECA Programmable Thermostat (34 €)
- Beok Fan Coil air conditioner thermostat (54 €)
- Nest Thermostat (249 €)
The connection is a bit complex, difficult to apply by those who do not know a minimum of electronics: some of the wires must be connected to the thermostat, so as to control the passage of current for the main functions. On the simpler models, the connection is identical to the boiler: current is only passed when the temperature is too high and we need to turn on the air conditioning.
If we choose the Nest, we can safely use only one thermostat for the boiler and for the air conditioning, being prepared for the use of both. In this case too, we recommend that you contact a qualified installer or an electrician, to avoid having to handle electrical wires and seriously endanger our and others' lives.
If we want to discover other valid tips to save money, we refer you to reading our dedicated guide below.
READ ALSO -> Smart lights, sockets and thermostats to save on bills .
