Home automation while it's hot: Winter warmth for lazy technophiles

Nest

Despite the fact that it's only just become officially available in the UK, Google's Nest is probably the start thermostat that most techies have heard about, and in some ways one of the most innovative. When it comes to scheduling you don't have to create one, as it learns from the adjustments you make to the heating over the first week or so.

The Nest app gives a historical overview of energy use – click for a larger image

Spookily, it also detects when everyone has left home and then turns the heating down thanks to light and motion sensors in the thermostat. I've yet to have first hand experience in my own home, but I wonder if, on days when I'm slaving away in the home office and not moving around between rooms, the heating might well turn itself off.

Compared to Hive, there's one less box with Nest, as the Heat Link plugs into the boiler – and has a manual heat switch on it – while the thermostat can be put anywhere else.

The Nest kit has just two main components, the heat link and the thermostat controller

A plus point is that Nest is also happy with just about every sort of heating, and multi-zone systems, the minus being that it does cost £249 including installation.

Tado

While Nest has got lots of publicity, German firm Tado has a similarly smart thermostat - though unlike Nest, you do have to program your preferred day and night temperatures via the app or website, rather than it learning as it goes along.

The key to Tado is the smartphone app that works out when you're away from home, automatically turning down the temperature when the last person leaves. A 'comfort/economy' slider helps it work out when to turn it back on as you get closer to home.

Tado's app reports on a number of different factors

Tado has a wireless thermostat, a hub to plug into your broadband, and a control unit that links to the boiler, which has a 'Home' button that guests can use to turn the heating on. It's also clever enough to check the weather, so if the sun's going to warm the house, it won't turn the heating on for as long, which is smart.

I've been using Tado for a few months now, and for me the simple fact that the heating turns on and off as I come and go is a winner; but at £249 plus £50 for installation, it's pricey. An alternative option is to rent Tado for £7 a month.

Tado installation kit: also known as the "Heizungmanagement System"

I went DIY, and after I'd added details of my boiler and old thermostat, the website walked me through installation. It told me exactly which wires to connect where, and there was a screwdriver in the box too.

You can even program the Tado app with details of your previous heating bills, and it'll tell you how much you've saved. Like Nest, it'll work with underfloor heating, and like Hive there's hot water control too, if you need it - but it's strictly single zone.