The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission. Why trust us?
This new smart thermostat could cut your energy bills by 19% – here’s how
The energy price cap will rise in October, and a smart thermostat could save you cash
Support truly
independent journalism
Our mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.
Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.
Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.
Louise Thomas
Editor
With households across the UK bracing for a 10 per cent rise in their energy bills next month, bringing the average home energy bill up from £1,568 to £1,717, people are looking for savvy ways to cut costs.
Now, smart home firm Tado is about to launch a range of new energy-saving gadgets that promise to save customers up to 19 per cent on their energy bills this winter. Called the Tado X range – it includes everything from a new smart thermostat to new sensors to new smart radiator valves.
“October’s price cap rise of 10 per cent is unwelcome news for all households and another indicator of why it is important to take control of your heating consumption and bills,” says Tado co-founder Christian Deilmann. “With savings of 19 per cent on average in the UK, the new Tado X products will pay for themselves within a few months and then go on to save customers money as well as cutting their carbon footprint.”
Easier to set up and use than previous Tado devices, the new smart thermostat features a simpler and more user-friendly display, and runs on the Matter and Thread protocols, letting any Tado X product talk to smart home devices from other manufacturers.
As well as being compatible with Alexa and controllable through your phone via Apple Home and Google Home, you’ll find that all of Tado’s best energy-saving features are built into its latest devices. From smart scheduling and geofencing, which turns off the heating when everyone is away from the home to open window detection, actual weather adaptations and more. Once it’s all set up, it’ll learn your habits to help save you money.
Available in the UK from 1 November, here’s what’s new with all of Tado’s latest smart home gadgets.
Tado smart thermostat X: £159, Tado.com
Tado’s new smart thermostat X comes in either a wired or wireless model, and can replace your current thermostat to control your boiler, a zone valve or underfloor heating.
Those with a hot water tank can also control their hot water with the wireless model, and it’s got a Thread border router, so you don’t need to buy a Bridge X (unless you have a big house and need the longer range). If you’ve got a combi boiler, you’ll need the wired model, which comes with the Bridge X in the starter kit. Both wired and wireless starter kits cost £159.99.
Tado smart radiator thermostat X: £79.99, Tado.com
Tado’s range of smart radiator valves has a new T-shape design that the company says is more compact, and it also features an improved high-resolution touch display. The smart radiator thermostat X basically lets you control the temperature in each room, so you can have the heating on in the bedroom and off everywhere else.
They all come with their own thermostatic valves and six adapters, so you can easily install them yourself. And our favourite upgrade is that the battery can be recharged via USB-C (much easier than having to replace the batteries every year). A single radiator thermostat costs £79.99, but you can get it as a pack of four for £260.99.
Tado wireless temperature sensor X: £89.99, Tado.com
Looking like the smart thermostat X, you can use Tado’s wireless temperature sensor in any room to give you a heating measurement in any spot in your home. Pretty useful if you want to turn the heating on when the temperature in your room dips to a certain point. It costs £89.99.
Tado heat pump optimiser X: £229.99, Tado.com
If your home has a heat pump, Tado’s new heat pump optimiser X will act as a controller, letting you set smart schedules for both heating and hot water. You can also manually adjust the temperature in the Tado app. If you get the smart thermostat and the heat pump optimiser, you can adjust the heating in any of the rooms with a heat pump. The best part is if you use it with Tado’s balance for heat pump load shifting service, the optimiser X will adjust the times the heat pump operates to periods when electricity prices are lower each day, saving you a wodge of cash.
The heat pump optimiser X is compatible with heat pumps from Atlantic, Vaillant, Saunier Duval, Fujitsu and Daikin, with Panasonic due in November. The optimiser costs £229.99.
Best Tado smart thermostat deals
Tado smart thermostat: Was £179.99, now £119.99, Amazon.co.uk
Can’t wait until November? You can save 33 per cent on Tado’s current-generation smart thermostat at Amazon right now. “The Tado is highly affordable but doesn’t stint on clever features, such as learning your behaviour and adjusting its heating schedule accordingly. It also tracks your presence and absence through your smartphone,” our writer said in their review. “The simple but attractive design means most of the controls are accessed through the smartphone app.”
Voucher codes
For the latest offers on smart home and other tech, try the links below:
Looking for the best smart thermostats to lower bills? We’ve got you covered