Sensible Home Technology - Home Automation Systems - Heating Controls - Lighting Controls

Take control of your heating for more comfort and lower bills

SENSIBLE home technology is the approved distributor of the Honeywell Hometronic Heating and Home Automation system for the Channel Islands. In partnership with sensibleheat in the UK we bring unrivaled experience in the design and installation of this ground breaking system. Unlike other control systems the Hometronic system can be retrospectively fitted to your home, usually in one day, and generally does not require changes to your plumbing. The signals to and from the Radiator Controllers are by radio, so do not require any wiring. The Radiator Controllers fit instead of your Thermostatic Radiator valves providing much more accurate control of the temperature in the room and receiving commands from the Hometronic Manager to change the temperature setting throughout the day to meet your needs and minimise heating costs.

The Hometronic system has been supplied to the German market for some years and many thousands of systems have been installed so it is a well proven mass market product.

The heart of the system is the Hometronic Manager, which requires just a mains supply and would normally be fitted in the Kitchen or Hall so it is convenient as you arrive and leave your property. The Hometronic Manager sets the temperature for each room and sends the new value by radio to the Radiator (or Underfloor) Controller. Each Room can have a different temperature set (setpoint) for each period of the day. So for a working couple the Kitchen profile might be

07:00 setpoint 21 get up make breakfast
08:00 setpoint 16 leave for work
17:30 setpoint 21 home make dinner
21:30 setpoint 16 move to lounge and then to bed

In this way the heating for every room is matched to the pattern of use for the room, since the room is only heated to meet the need considerable savings are possible. Reducing the temperature by just one degree Centigrade reduces the heating cost on average by 10%, so if say, half your house could be reduced from 22 to 18 for most of the day, then this would represent a 20% saving.

The boiler is controlled by the Manager (via a radio controlled relay) so that it only runs if a room requires heating which again saves money and extends the life of the boiler.

An economy button reduces the temperature across the whole house, ideal when you are going out for a few hours and a single press restores normal operation when you return. For Holidays the Lifestyle feature allows the date and time of your return to be entered so that the house is warm and cosy when you get home. Lifestyles can also be used to cover special events, such as Guests, Party or an unusual working pattern.

The most common form of heating is by radiators, the Radiator Controller fits onto the radiator instead of your Thermostatic Valve. If you do not have Thermostatic Valves they can be fitted quite easily and your savings will be even greater. The Radiator Controller has an adjustment knob which allows the temperature to be set manually, this is useful for infrequently used rooms which can be heated just when they are used and also for rooms where the window is opened to air the room and the heating can be turned off to save waste. In normal operation the required temperature is received automatically from the Hometronic Manger by radio and no manual intervention is required.

Underfloor heating is becoming ever more popular and the system is equally suited to controlling the heat in your floor whether it is a wet system or electric. The Underfloor controller controls 5 loops or circuits and this can be extended to 8 with an extension unit. Multiple Underfloor controllers can be used to match the need.

For Underfloor heating and for radiators which are enclosed it is necessary to have a temperature sensor mounted within the room. This also works by radio so no wiring is needed, The sensor can optionally have a temperature setting dial which allows the room temperature to be conveniently adjusted.

It is often a good idea to fit this sensor/adjuster in Guest suites because then your guests have complete control of their room temperature.

The main system functions can be controlled with a wireless remote control which can of course be used anywhere in the house or garden.

In addition to heating control the system can be extended to control a wide range of other items in your home.

Awnings can be automatically extended based on sunlight levels and most importantly can be automatically closed if the wind gets up.

Lighting in the home and in the garden can be switched or dimmed and garden irrigation systems or water features such as fountains can be automatically operated to a timed program.

If you need to ensure the coffee machine is ready to run every morning at 09:00 that can also be arranged. More details are available in our pdf factsheets