Heating controls have been becoming increasingly intelligent in recent years. PHPD takes a look at the latest solutions from Salus, which are branching out to cover the whole house.
Defining ‘smart’ is a tricky proposition. Views vary on what does, and what does not, constitute smart. What is more certain is the upwards trajectory along which technology is travelling – barely a week goes by without a new gadget entering our lives.
And our homes are no exception. They too are on the way to becoming smarter – enabling more control, greater levels of flexibility and some systems can also learn our habits and behaviour to predict our needs.
Heating controls specialist Salus has recently introduced a range of ‘Smart Home’ connected products; enabling homeowners to run their home simply from their phone, tablet, computer, or even via a Smart Assistant.
The company offers a number of devices that enable homeowners to optimise the home environment to suit lifestyle and needs. Devices currently available include; smart plugs, door and window sensors, an electric monitor that provides data on any particular appliance, a range of Boiler Plus compliant thermostats for traditional wet systems, and an array of underfloor heating thermostats. Smart radiator controls, smart buttons, an Appstat, and smart relay are also available, while a water leak detector, smoke alarm and CO alarm are also set to join the range soon.
Open the gate
At the centre of the company’s Smart Home system are the Universal Gateway UG600 and Smartphone App that are required to control and monitor the system. Once up and running, users can connect a variety of devices from the Salus family of smart products, and these can be programmed to work together to control many aspects of the home.
Control scenario set-ups are unique to every homeowners’ needs but could include: turning off all the lamps and radiators in the home five minutes after the front door has closed, turning down the thermostat if the windows have been left open for more than ten minutes, and switching on the lights and radiators 20 minutes before arriving home.
A key element of the company’s Smart Home system is the way in which products can interact with each other. This is achieved by simply setting up ‘One Touch’ rules that are personalised to the user and that communicate with the products via the universal gateway. As such, the permutations for controlling devices within the home are almost endless.
Connected future
Salus’ European Managing Director, Dean Jepson said: “There’s no two ways about it, the future of our homes is connected. A decade ago, the idea of controlling your home’s thermostat, lights and security systems remotely via a smartphone would have seemed like something from a sci-fi movie.
“Today, however, it’s estimated that around 25% of consumers in the UK currently own at least one smart home device, and latest research suggests that 50% of consumers are likely to install smart heating products in their homes over the next five years.”
