Will Heinzelmann, Product Director at Passiv UK explains why smart and easy to work with heat pump controls are a win for housebuilders and developers.
Heat pumps have been firmly on the government agenda for a while now, with an ambitious target to install 600,000 annually by 2028. To move closer towards this target, smart controls for heat pumps will play a vital role in raising the standards for efficiencies in homes – but their true impact hinges on one critical factor: simplicity.
Having spent a decade working in heat pump optimisation, we’ve learned a crucial lesson – technology is only as good as the experience it offers. The success of the transition from boilers to heat pumps relies on making heat pumps not just effective but intuitive and effortless to use, ensuring they become a seamless part of everyday life.
For homeowners, ease-of-use and confidence in controls is essential. There’s no point in being clever with your controls if the homeowner doesn’t understand or engage with it.
The latest generation of smart controls overcome these challenges.
User-friendly controls
When it comes to heating controls, British homeowners have grown accustomed to gas boilers. Unlike gas boilers, which operate at higher flow temperatures, heat pumps operate at lower flow temperatures, meaning they take longer to heat a home – so having controls that are easy to use is really important.
The latest smart controls are designed to mirror the simplicity of a boiler interface, making it easy to manage home heating while also lowering heating bills. By prioritising user-friendly design, heat pumps become effective, familiar and easy to adopt.
Faster commissioning and fewer call-backs
Many heat pumps are still configured with fixed flow temperatures, resulting in high running costs and underperforming homes. Smart controls remove that complexity by dynamically managing the heat pump’s flow temperature – continuously fine-tuning performance without the need for installers to manually set a weather compensation curve.
As well as speeding up commissioning, the latest smart controls can also reduce installation time. For example, the Passiv Smart Thermostat features a Programmer with a built-in, push-fit wiring centre and can be installed with wired or wireless thermostats. The system can be commissioned in just minutes using the Programmer, which also supports the homeowner through a simple app registration.
