Home Smart thermostat installation Exeter
Smart thermostat installation in Exeter
Your request goes to engineers covering Exeter who check what heating you have, then fit and set up the right smart controls.
Exeter has an unusually wide mix of heating. Three-quarters of homes have a gas boiler, but one in nine heats with electricity only and almost a quarter of recent new builds are on a community heating scheme. The right smart control depends on which you have.
Exeter at a glance
- How homes are heated
- 76.4% of Exeter households heat with mains gas only and 11.5% (6,029) with electricity only. 579 homes (1.1%) are on a district or communal heat network, 1,157 (2.2%) had no central heating, and 135 (0.3%) used oil only. Source
- Electric heating by area
- In St David's ward, which covers the city centre, 27.6% of households (1,319) heated with electricity only in 2021. Exwick was at 19.7%, Duryard and St James at 17.4% and Newtown and St Leonard's at 16.3%. Source
- Heating in new homes
- Of new-build homes in Exeter with an EPC lodged up to March 2022, 23.8% were heated by a community heating scheme and 66.5% by mains gas. Across all Exeter homes, community heating was 3.8%. Source
- Renting
- 24.9% of Exeter households rented privately in 2021 and 16.6% rented from the council or a housing association. Source
- Median energy score
- About 41% of homes with an EPC in Exeter are rated band D or below (median score 70, band C), against 47% across England. Based on certificates lodged in the 10 years to March 2025. Source
Gas boilers
A combi needs a heating-only smart thermostat such as Hive, Nest or tado. A system or regular boiler with a hot water cylinder needs a dual-channel version that schedules hot water too.
If your boiler supports OpenTherm, a compatible thermostat can modulate the burner instead of switching it on and off. Ask the engineer to check.
Electric heating and heat networks
Standard smart thermostats don't control storage heaters. In city-centre flats on electric heating, look for modern heaters with built-in smart controls.
On a heat network, your heat interface unit may already have its own controller. Check with the network operator before adding anything, as some systems need specific controls.
Shared houses
In a student house, smart controls let the landlord set a sensible schedule and maximum temperature, while smart radiator valves let each tenant adjust their own room. Check how heating costs are shared in the tenancy before changing anything.
Settings worth changing
Ask the engineer to lower your boiler's flow temperature while they're there. Condensing boilers are most efficient when the water returning from the radiators is cool, and a smart thermostat can keep rooms comfortable with longer, gentler heating.
Use away mode rather than switching off completely in cold weather, to protect pipes and avoid condensation.
Exeter homes and what they need
Interwar and post-war semis
A dual-channel smart controller replaces the old programmer and cylinder thermostat in one go.
Victorian and Georgian terraces
Tall rooms and a cold hallway make thermostat position important. Put a wireless thermostat in the main living room rather than by the front door.
New-build estates on the edge of the city
Many new homes come with basic programmable controls. A smart thermostat is a simple upgrade if you have your own boiler.
Areas covered
Engineers who cover Exeter work across areas including Heavitree, St Thomas, St Leonard's, Pennsylvania, Alphington, Whipton, Pinhoe, Exwick, Topsham and Cranbrook.
Questions people in Exeter ask
Can students fit a smart thermostat in a rented Exeter house?
Only with the landlord's agreement. Plug-in smart radiator valves are easier to remove at the end of the tenancy.
Do smart thermostats save money?
They can, if you use the schedule and away modes. The biggest savings come from not heating an empty house.
Can I fit a smart thermostat myself in Exeter?
Battery models that replace a wireless thermostat are simple. Anything that rewires the boiler or wiring centre should be done by a competent engineer.
Sources
- ONS Census 2021, table TS046
- ONS: Energy efficiency of housing, local authority districts
- ONS Census 2021, table TS054
Also nearby: Smart thermostat installation in Plymouth, Smart thermostat installation in Bristol, Smart thermostat installation in Bournemouth