Smart Heating Controls Guide for Irish Homes: WiFi Thermostats, Boiler Modules and Immersion Timers

Smart heating controls for an Irish home come in three parts: a WiFi room thermostat that decides how warm the house gets, a WiFi boiler module that puts the boiler or immersion on an app schedule, and immersion and boost timers that heat water only when it is needed. Most homes do not need all three. Plug in timers need no electrician, but thermostats, boiler modules and wired timers must be fitted by a registered electrician.

At Shamrock Electrical in Rathcoole, just off the N7, we stock the Optimum range covering each of those jobs, and this is the plain guidance we give across the counter about which one does what and who should fit it.

What smart heating controls actually do

Every control on this page does one of two things. It decides when the heating or hot water runs, or it decides how warm a room is allowed to get. A timer or boiler module handles when. A thermostat handles how warm. The smart part is simply that you can change either from your phone, and see what is running while you are out.

That matters because the app does not make heat any cheaper. The saving comes from hours: not heating an empty house, not leaving the immersion on all afternoon, and heating water on the night rate if you have a day and night meter.

WiFi room thermostats

The PWFSTAT WiFi programmable room thermostat is the one to look at if the question is temperature rather than just on and off. It is battery powered and wall mounted, with a large backlit display and touch buttons on the wall, and full control through the app.

• Four time and temperature periods per day, so the house can be warm for the morning, cooler while it is empty and warm again for the evening.
• 5+1+1 programming, meaning Monday to Friday, Saturday and Sunday each get their own schedule.
• Comfort, energy saving and holiday modes. Holiday mode holds a low frost protection temperature for a set period, then returns to normal.
• Open window detection, which turns the heating back when the room temperature drops quickly, with adjustable sensitivity.
• Works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant for voice control.

The schedule is held on the thermostat itself, so the heating keeps running your programme if the WiFi drops. You only lose remote changes until it comes back.

WiFi boiler modules

The OP-BM/1HTWF01 WiFi boiler module puts an existing boiler or immersion on a smartphone schedule without replacing the boiler or the cylinder. It is programmed through the app on a 24 hour or 7 day basis and controls a volt free switch rated at 16 amps resistive, so it switches the circuit rather than carrying the load itself.

Two details make it a popular retrofit. The module can be removed from its enclosure and mounted inside boilers that have a suitable timer aperture, so there is nothing extra on the wall. And there is a manual override button on the unit as well as remote override from the app, with Alexa and Google Home compatibility for voice control.

Like the thermostat, it stores the schedule on the device, so programmed times keep running during a broadband outage.

Immersion timers and boost timers

For hot water on an immersion, a dedicated timer is the most direct saving in the house. Two approaches, and some homes use both.

The ECOSAVE immersion timer is a mechanical 24 hour multi tariff timeswitch for 3kW immersion elements. It heats the tank during the low tariff hours on a day and night meter, programmable every 15 minutes, with an adjustable boost of 15, 30, 60 or 120 minutes for hot water outside the schedule. It suits single, dual or twin immersion setups, holds its programme for 72 hours through a power cut, and is for dry rooms only.

The OP-EBT2 electronic boost timer is the simpler option: one button, four run times of 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour and 2 hours, then it switches itself off. It is ideal where the problem is somebody forgetting to turn the immersion off rather than wanting a schedule, and it is rated 16A resistive.

If you want a fixed daily schedule for a heating or hot water circuit without WiFi, the OP-SBST 24 hour socket box timer and the OP-SBSW 7 day socket box timer mount over a standard pattress box with volt free changeover contacts.

Which control do you actually need?

• The immersion is left on too long: an OP-EBT2 boost timer.
• You have a day and night meter and heat water with an immersion: an ECOSAVE immersion timer.
• You want to switch the boiler or immersion from your phone: an OP-BM/1HTWF01 WiFi boiler module.
• Rooms are too warm or too cold, or you want different temperatures at different times: a PWFSTAT WiFi room thermostat.
• A plug in heater, lamp or dehumidifier on a schedule: a plug in timer or WiFi smart plug, no wiring needed.

Do not run an immersion heater through a 13A plug in smart plug. An immersion draws a heavy sustained load and needs a wired controller rated for it.

When you need a registered electrician or a gas installer

No electrician needed: plug in timers and WiFi smart plugs. They go straight into an existing socket.

A registered electrician is needed: the PWFSTAT thermostat, the WiFi boiler module, the ECOSAVE immersion timer, the OP-EBT2 boost timer and the socket box and DIN rail time switches. Every one of them wires into a fixed heating or hot water circuit, and the product instructions call for installation by a qualified electrician in accordance with I.S. 10101. Safe Electric, the scheme for Registered Electrical Contractors, advises always using a Registered Electrical Contractor for electrical work in your home and asking for a completion certificate afterwards. You can search for one by county on its site.

Talk to a Registered Gas Installer if the job involves working on a gas boiler itself, for example opening the boiler to mount the module in its timer aperture. The Commission for Regulation of Utilities states that you must use a Registered Gas Installer for any gas work in your home, natural gas or LPG, and that it is the law. For an oil boiler, use a qualified heating engineer. Before you buy for a boiler, ask your electrician or heating engineer to confirm how its existing timer or thermostat is wired.

Buying heating controls from Shamrock Electrical

We are an Irish owned electrical supplier in Rathcoole, County Dublin, just off the N7 and well positioned for the M50. We stock Optimum WiFi thermostats, boiler modules, immersion and boost timers and time switches, and we deliver free on every order to all 26 counties with no minimum spend. You are also welcome to collect from the counter. Trade pricing is available on 01 401 9907 or sales@shamrockelectrical.ie.

The full range is in heating controls and immersion timers, and plug in scheduling is in smart plugs and WiFi timers. If you are weighing up electric heating as well, read smart WiFi radiators vs standard electric heaters.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What are smart heating controls?
A: Smart heating controls are thermostats, boiler modules and timers you can set and change from a phone app. A WiFi thermostat controls how warm a room gets, a WiFi boiler module controls when the boiler or immersion runs, and immersion and boost timers limit how long water heats.

Q: Do I need an electrician to fit a WiFi thermostat or boiler module?
A: Yes. Both wire into a fixed heating circuit, so they should be fitted by a registered electrician in accordance with I.S. 10101. If the work involves a gas boiler itself, talk to a Registered Gas Installer as well. Plug in timers and smart plugs need no electrician.

Q: Can I control my immersion heater from my phone?
A: Yes. The OP-BM/1HTWF01 WiFi boiler module doubles as an immersion heater control, with 24 hour or 7 day schedules and remote boost from the app. It must be wired in by a registered electrician, because an immersion typically draws around 3kW.

Q: What is the difference between an immersion timer and a boost timer?
A: An immersion timer runs the tank on a daily schedule, such as the night rate hours on a day and night meter. A boost timer gives a single timed run of 15 minutes to 2 hours at the press of a button, then switches off. The ECOSAVE does both.

Q: Do smart heating controls keep working if the WiFi goes down?
A: Yes. The PWFSTAT thermostat and the WiFi boiler module store their schedules on the device, so programmed times and temperatures keep running. You lose remote control from the app until the connection returns.

Q: Can I use a smart plug to control an immersion heater?
A: No. A 13A plug in smart plug is not the right control for an immersion, which draws a heavy sustained load. Use a wired immersion timer, boost timer or WiFi boiler module rated for the circuit, fitted by a registered electrician.

Q: Where can I buy smart heating controls in Ireland?
A: Shamrock Electrical stocks Optimum WiFi thermostats, WiFi boiler modules, immersion timers and boost timers. We are based in Rathcoole, County Dublin, just off the N7, and we deliver free to every county in Ireland on every order with no minimum spend. You can also collect from the counter.