Smart Electric Heating Controls: WiFi, Thermostats and Timers
Smart electric heating controls, explained simply.
Thermostats, 24 hour timers and WiFi app control for electric heaters and heated towel rails: what each level of control actually does, what it saves you, and which one your home really needs.
Three rungs. Each one saves more than the last.
Every electric heating thermostat does the same basic job: it watches the room temperature and switches the heater on and off to hold the level you set. What separates a basic heater from a smart electric heater is how much say you get over when and where that happens. Think of it as a ladder with three rungs, and every rung up puts you in tighter control of your running costs.
App control is now surprisingly affordable. The ADAX VP12 wall mounted panel heater with Bluetooth app is £91.00, and lets you set programmes from your phone while you are in range of the heater. Full WiFi models go further, letting you adjust from anywhere.
Manual thermostat.
A simple dial or slider sets a target temperature and the heater cycles to hold it. It stops rooms overheating, but it relies on you remembering to turn things up, down and off. Fine for a workshop or a room you rarely use.
Digital thermostat plus 24hr timer.
An electronic thermostat holds temperature more precisely, and a built-in timer heats the room only in the hours you choose. Browse our slimline panel heaters with built-in timer and thermostat: 25 models to pick from.
Full WiFi app scheduling.
The top rung. A weekly schedule per room, set and adjusted from your phone wherever you are. Start with the panel heaters with smart WiFi connectivity, then match the bathroom with a WiFi towel rail.
Accuracy is where the savings hide.
Whether it is a small thermostat on a bathroom heater or a slim thermostat built into a designer radiator, four things separate a good electronic radiator thermostat from a poor one.
It holds temperature tightly
A mechanical dial can drift a couple of degrees either side of the target. A good electronic thermostat holds the room close to the set point, and that matters because every unnecessary degree is money spent heating air you did not ask for. Turning a room thermostat down by one degree is one of the cheapest energy savings available in any home.
It cycles intelligently
Thermostats work by switching the heating element on and off. Better electronics read the room more often and cycle in shorter, gentler bursts, so the temperature stays level instead of sawing above and below the target. The result is a more comfortable room and less wasted output.
Open window detection
Many smart electric heaters can spot the sudden temperature drop caused by an open window or door and pause heating instead of fighting the draught. It is a feature worth looking for on any smart model: check the individual product page to confirm whether a specific heater includes it.
A note on thermostatic radiator valves
Searching for chrome or brass thermostatic radiator valves, straight thermostatic valves or 15mm TRVs? Those are plumbing fittings for wet central heating radiators, and they are not something an electric heater needs. Every electric radiator and towel rail we sell has its thermostat built in, with no valves or pipework, which is also why WiFi electric radiators are the simplest route to room-by-room thermostatic heating in the UK.
Your whole home, one app, room by room.
This is what WiFi control of your heating actually feels like day to day. Each heater carries its own schedule, so the bedroom warms for 6.30am while the home office waits until 8. Running late home? Push the living room start time back from the train. Cold snap while you are away? Nudge every room up a degree from your phone. It is the flexibility people want from WiFi controlled central heating, achieved with independent electric radiators instead of a boiler, valves and wiring.
WiFi panel heaters and radiators
WiFi towel rails
The best smart electric heaters do not have to cost a fortune: WiFi app scheduling starts at £64.99 in our clearance range. See all smart WiFi panel heaters and all WiFi app controlled towel rails.
Prefer compact? The IPX4 rated ADAX Compact WiFi wall mounted radiator pictured above is £121.80 in clearance, and the ADAX Neo WiFi low profile smart heater with thermostat and timer (£205.00) suits walls where a full height panel will not fit.
Lot 20, in plain English.
Lot 20 is the part of the European Ecodesign regulations, kept in UK law after Brexit, that covers local space heaters. Since January 2018, new electric heaters sold in the UK must meet a minimum seasonal efficiency, and in practice a heater only gets there by carrying intelligent controls: an accurate electronic thermostat plus features such as timed scheduling, adaptive start or open window detection.
For you as a buyer it means two things. First, a compliant heater is designed to avoid the classic waste of old convectors, which ran flat out whether the room needed it or not. Second, the control features this guide covers are not luxuries bolted on top: they are the very things that make a modern heater legal to sell. Models such as the Vitra Verde WiFi electric panel heater (£137.70) and the ADAX NEO WIFI wear their Lot 20 compliance in the product name. If a bargain heater somewhere online mentions no thermostat, no timer and no Lot 20 rating, that is the warning sign.
Match the control to the room.
Rental property or spare room: thermostat and timer
Tenants and guests need heating that just works without an app account. A panel heater with thermostat and a 24 hour timer covers it: set the programme once and the room looks after itself. Our built-in timer panel heaters range has 25 models across a spread of outputs and sizes.
Main living rooms and bedrooms: WiFi
Rooms you use every day at changing times are where app scheduling pays for itself. Pick from the smart WiFi panel heaters, size them at roughly 80W per square metre of floor space in a typically insulated room, and run each room on its own schedule.
Bathrooms and towel rails: thermostat and timer, or WiFi
A towel rail timer that warms the rail for an hour before your morning shower is the sweet spot for most bathrooms. Choose from electric heated towel rails with thermostat and timer (18 models), dual fuel towel rails with thermostat and timer if you also have central heating, or step up to a WiFi rail for phone control. For electric bathroom heating, follow the IP zone rules in BS 7671: keep heaters out of the splash zones and have an electrician connect them via a fused spur, as required by Part P.
Smart heating, answered.
Do you sell WiFi or chrome thermostatic radiator valves?
No. Thermostatic radiator valves, whether chrome, brass or WiFi controlled, are fittings for wet central heating radiators, and we specialise in electric heating. Every electric radiator and towel rail we sell has its thermostat built in, so there are no valves to buy, and a WiFi electric radiator gives you the same room-by-room control a smart TRV aims for.
What is the difference between a thermostat and a timer?
A thermostat controls how warm a room gets: it holds the temperature you set. A timer controls when the heating runs: it switches the heater on and off at programmed hours. The two together are the minimum for economical electric heating, which is why so many of our heaters and towel rails carry both.
Can I control my heating from my phone when I am away from home?
With a WiFi model, yes: the heater connects to your home broadband, so the app reaches it from anywhere with an internet connection. A Bluetooth model such as the ADAX VP12 is different: the app talks directly to the heater, so you need to be within range. If away-from-home control matters, choose WiFi.
Is a WiFi heater or a heater with a timer better for a rental?
For most landlords, a thermostat and timer model is the practical choice: tenants can use it without downloading anything or creating an account, and there is nothing to unpair between tenancies. Keep WiFi models for your own home, or for holiday lets where you want to warm the property remotely before guests arrive.
Do smart electric heaters cost more to run?
No, the electronics themselves draw a negligible amount. In practice they usually cost less to run than basic heaters of the same wattage, because accurate thermostats, schedules and features such as open window detection stop the heater running when the room does not need it. That is the whole logic behind the Lot 20 regulations.
Is delivery free?
Yes. Free next working day delivery applies to mainland UK and Isle of Man orders. For delivery elsewhere, or for advice on choosing the right control level for your rooms, call us on 01325 717 899.
Ready to put your heating on a schedule?
Every smart WiFi panel heater in one place, with free next working day delivery to mainland UK and Isle of Man. Questions? Call 01325 717 899.
Shop Smart WiFi HeatersMore from our buying guide library: read Portable Electric Heaters: A Buyer’s Guide and Convector Heaters Explained: Panel, Convector and Oil Filled Compared.