Need advice on heating control devices

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I plan to switch my heating from an “automatic” system to a smarter one.
Input data:
Boiler automatic running all the time ( inside thermostat of the water boiler )
-floor heating controlled by wire thermostats and multiple zones controlled by automation
-several radiators with water controlled by “hand” thermostatic heads.

wanted output:
1.boiler on only when needed
2.keep existing floor actuators and wire thermostats in parallel to some smart device
3.replace radiators heads with smart ones
we need riability and encryption
And minimum interference to the existing system

My View
for point 1 I see a parallel connection of a wired thermostat in the boiler room ( just to be safe smart system goes off) with a smart commanded relay or some sort of boiler control

for point 2 - I saw that a thermostat controls the zone by impedance change …
My Idea was for each wired thermostat which controls a zone of the floor heating to put in parallel some sort of smart device which can tell to the existing floor heating control to open actuators…now is there any such device available on the market ?
( I do require to keep a working existing system)

for point 3 - There are many available options… zigbee or zwave which device would you recommend?
I looked at Fibaro, nice ones but one question : what happens if battery brakes down ?
I mean I want a working system for many years .

Anybody with similar projects around ?

2

Welcome! :sunglasses:

First things first: what country are you in? The device selection does vary somewhat.

For the use cases you described, either zigbee or zwave should be fine. It’s just a matter of which specific models have the features that you want

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I dont think you will benefit much from adapting your floor heating to smart control reason being underfloor heating already operates at a lower temperature than say gas fired or oil and requires longer operation to gain required temperature. I suppose you could swap out existing zoned stats for smart ones to gain more control but the installation cost out weighs the potential savings made from switching it off sooner. Heating control really only suits the individual needs and everyone is different.
With the radiators on the system then thermostatic smart valves would be a good investment and eventually pay for itself this part of your system operates at higher temperatures and uses more fuel.
Jools

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