Smart Heating Controls: How to Save Money on Your Energy Bills in 2026

With energy prices remaining high in 2026, smart heating controls have become one of the most cost-effective home improvements you can make. A smart thermostat learns your schedule, adjusts heating automatically, and allows remote control from your phone — potentially reducing your heating bills by 15 to 30 percent annually. For a typical UK home spending £1,200 per year on heating, that represents a saving of £180 to £360 every year.

The most popular smart thermostat brands in the UK are Nest, Hive, and Tado. Nest Learning Thermostat creates a schedule automatically based on your movements and temperature adjustments. Hive Active Heating offers straightforward app control and integrates with other smart home devices. Tado stands out for its geofencing feature, which turns heating down when the last person leaves home and warms it up before the first person returns.

Smart radiator valves — also known as smart TRVs — take heating control a step further. They replace standard thermostatic radiator valves and allow you to set different temperatures for each room independently. This means you can keep bedrooms cool at night while keeping the living room warm in the evening, or turn off heating in unused rooms entirely. Most smart TRV systems work with smart thermostats for whole-home optimisation.

Installation of a smart thermostat is straightforward for a qualified electrician. The existing thermostat wiring is typically reused, and the new device is mounted in its place. Setup and app configuration takes around 30 minutes. For smart TRVs, each radiator valve is replaced individually — a full home installation takes 2 to 3 hours depending on the number of radiators.

Before installing smart heating controls, your electrician will verify compatibility with your boiler. Most modern combi boilers work with all major smart thermostat brands. Older system boilers may require an additional wiring module. Heat-only boilers with separate hot water cylinders may need a smart thermostat with hot water control capability.

At DM Electrical Installations, we supply and install smart heating controls across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and the East Midlands. We help you choose the right system for your boiler type and lifestyle, handle the full installation and setup, and show you how to use the app to get maximum savings. If you are also considering other smart home upgrades, we can integrate your heating controls with smart lighting and security systems for a fully connected home. Contact us today for a free quote on smart heating control installation.