Intelligent heating control – what you should know about the functionality, installation and compatibility of smart radiator thermostats.

How does a thermostat work?

Everyone has probably seen a conventional thermostat before. If you want heat in winter, you turn the knob up as high as possible and the radiator begin to emit heat. But how exactly is the heating controlled via the thermostat? 

1. By turning the thermostat dial, you set the desired temperature. Level 3 generally represents a temperature of 20°C.
2. The thermostat’s head contains a liquid that reacts to the temperature of the room. When the room temperature rises, the fluid expands and presses on the valve pin.
3. The valve pin opens and closes the radiator valve. It is controlled by the fluid and closes the valve to the radiator once the desired temperature has been reached.
4. If the valve is closed, hot water stops flowing through the radiator. When the room turns colder, the volume of the fluid reduces, the valve pin opens the radiator valve, and hot water can flow once more.

What types of thermostat are there?

Manually adjustable thermostats

A particularly common type – its main benefits are that it is cheap to purchase and easy to use and install. However, it does not allow you to link your desired temperatures to a timer, something that becomes a drawback in certain situations.

Electric radio thermostats

These thermostats measure the temperature in the room and then often control several radiator valves at once via an electric signal. The main advantage here is that entire rooms can be intelligently controlled. Many devices even feature pre-programmed settings that allow the user to save on their heating bills. However, radiators cannot be controlled individually with this kind of thermostat. The expense of these thermostats is also a drawback.

Digitally programmable thermostats

This kind of thermostat is installed directly on the radiator and is able to communicate digitally. These thermostats allow the heating controls to be optimally adjusted to the user’s daily routines – this provides greater comfort while reducing costs. The benefits of these models are that they are easy to install on compatible radiators and that they provide smart control. Individual desired temperatures can be explicitly set for each radiator independently, and many devices can even be remote-controlled via an app. One disadvantage is the relatively high purchasing cost, though this is made up for in the long run through the money saved on heating bills.

Where should thermostats be installed?

To ensure that a thermostat can provide the desired temperature within the room, it has to constantly monitor it. The thermostat’s location is therefore important for an accurate reading of the room temperature.

You should avoid these five locations:

1. Behind drapes or curtains
2. In radiator recesses
3. Behind furniture and other interior furnishings
4. Directly beneath window sills
5. Draughty areas

Smart heating with the Gigaset thermostat

Enjoy your desired temperature wherever and whenever you want

When the alarm goes off in the morning, it’s a lot easier to get up when you know the bathroom will be warm. With the Gigaset thermostat, you can set your personal feel-good temperature individually via a timer for each weekday and each radiator. And after a hard day’s work, you can already adjust the room temperature on your way home – on the go and with total convenience via the app. With the Gigaset thermostat, you can always enjoy just the right room temperature for your personal needs.

Save money and energy through optimal heating

Smart technology allows you to intelligently save on energy. If you are away from home during the day, your heating stays off too. And then as soon as you finish work, the Gigaset thermostat punctually heats your rooms to the desired temperatures once more. If you open your windows in the morning for a quick airing, the thermostat automatically down-regulates your radiators. When used in combination with the Gigaset elements window, the thermostat even identifies tilted windows and adjusts the heating temperature accordingly. This way, you only heat when you really need to – it’s optimal for the environment and your wallet. 

You will considerably reduce your heating bills after just one winter. Turn down your heating temperature at night and during the day when you’re not at home. Depending on the building, it is generally possible to reduce your heating bills by 20%. In an older building or a top-floor apartment, you will fundamentally save more than in a new-build.

To illustrate, here is an example of a cost calculation:
As a rule of thumb, we spend 1 € in heating costs per square metre. For a 100m² apartment, this results in a heating bill of €100 per month. A saving of 20% means that you save €20 a month and €240 a year. Five thermostats will therefore already pay for themselves within a year.

An intelligent home: Gigaset thermostat as an expansion of your alarm system

You’re at work and receive an alert from your Gigaset elements app: via the indoor camera, you can see that your daughter has come home early from school today. Thanks to the Gigaset thermostat, you can adjust the room temperature in just a few steps to make your home comfortably warm. Intelligent control over your home gives you greater security and comfort within your own four walls. Connect up additional elements of the Gigaset alarm system and benefit from the added advantages of the Smart Home sensors. The Gigaset elements app for controlling your Smart Home devices is available to download for free from the App Store or Play Store.

How it’s done: easy installation in a few short steps

Installing smart heating and saving energy with the Gigaset thermostat is quick and easy. Start by removing the panel from the thermostat, inserting the batteries included in the delivery, and replacing the panel. You will see “JIN” on the display. Now register the thermostat with your installed Gigaset base station. You will first have to establish a connection between the devices before installing the radiator element. Please ensure that the thermostat is positioned no further than 1 metre from the base station when pairing the devices. Now you can start to install the thermostat in the app.

Download Gigaset elements app

Is my radiator compatible with the Gigaset thermostat?

To use the Gigaset thermostat, your radiators must have a removable thermostat is required. Simply remove the existing thermostat and replace it with the smart thermostat. Compatible manufacturers include Danfoss (with the accompanying adapters), Heimeier, Junkers, Oventrop, Rossweiner, Honeywell and Braukmann.