What we learnt about smart heating at PHEX 2015

PHEX 2015 at Chelsea Football Club

Team members Annick, James and Allan were on stand throughout the two-day event to answer the many questions PHEX attendees had about our feature product, Cosy – so much so that poor Allan ended up losing his voice!

Here’s what we found out from the conversations we had with the many engineers, plumbers and smart tech fans in attendance. How many of their thoughts on smart heating do you share?

Keep tech simple – to start with

We believe that a product that works well is one that doesn’t force users to radically change the way they’ve been doing things previously. The installers and customers we spoke to also agreed with our thinking that the ‘keep it simple approach’ is best – especially when it comes to smart heating products.

It goes without saying that smart controls have to work out of the box (especially where your heating and hot water are concerned) but the general consensus from PHEX was that the initial core product doesn’t need to have all the bells and whistles (such as weather compensation and geo location) operating from day one of installation. Instead, it seems that after a period of getting to trust the core product, users then begin to consider the additional, more sophisticated features.

This is good news for our easy-to-use Cosy which can be upgraded at any point in the future using our over-the-air (OTA) function!

Interest in smart thermostats is heating up

Surprisingly, around 1 in 3 of the installers we spoke to at PHEX told us that they weren’t too interested in smart heating controls at the moment. The reason behind this lack of interest? The fact that customers simply aren’t asking for them. However, most installers agreed that it’s only a matter of time until homeowners warm up more to the idea of smart home thermostats.

Cosy feedback from PHEX

As for Cosy, the feedback we received was very positive. Installers liked how Cosy caters to twin zone homes, has an easy-to use app and that there’s now a hot water add-on which can be retrofitted to existing systems. The fact that First Utility also uses our Cosy products did impress quite a few installers – being able to say that we have 000’s installed is no mean feat. The HomeServe installers who we work with already were very complimentary about the product and how easy to install it was – thanks!

Streaky on stand at PHEX

Of course we mustn’t forget to mention our four-legged friend, Streaky! He received a lot of attention (as always) and drew quite a few people to the stand for a conversation. Speaking of which, if you took a pig home, we’d love to see how he’s settling in to his new home! Get in touch with us on Twitter, Facebook or email us your images.

In the meantime, we’d love to hear your thoughts on smart heating and Cosy. Let us know what you think by popping your comments in the box below.

For more information on becoming part of our Cosy Club (and getting 50% off your Cosy trial unit – offer ends 31/03/2016) as a Cosy installer, get in touch with our Head of Partner Sales and Distribution, James Rankin.