SAFETY, SECURITY & SMART HOMES


Reshaping heating controls with AI


Tom Sheppard at IMI Heatmiser explains how AI is shaping the evolving role of heating controls.


Heating today presents a clear challenge for homeowners and self-builders. How do you balance comfort with lower energy use, ensure homes stay warm without overheating, and get the best performance from increasingly low- carbon heating systems? As more people look to build or retrofi t homes that are effi cient, future ready and comfortable to live in, the practical realities of day-to-day heating control are becoming harder to ignore. The demands of heating the right rooms at the right time, maintaining consistent comfort and doing so as effi ciently as possible can become complex. Against this backdrop adaptive heating


controls are becoming far more than a simple add-on to the wider system. Once seen as little more than a wall thermostat or a timer in an airing cupboard they are now emerging as a critical layer in overall residential building performance.


WHERE THE MARKET STANDS TODAY Heating is far more complex than many consumer technology brands fi rst anticipated. oogles decision to stop launching new Nest thermostats in Europe, sell existing European models only while supplies last, and end support for earlier Nest Learning Thermostat models highlights the challenge of long- term smart-home product support in complex heating markets. European and UK homes have diverse


hydronic systems, varied building fabric and unique compliance requirements that demand deep heating expertise as well as software capability. Heating control is about understanding how buildings behave in the real world, which comes with a set of practical challenges. Homeowners are increasingly seeking ways to balance comfort and energy effi ciency, optimise the performance of low-temperature heating systems, and heat homes more intelligently around changing


Heating control is about understanding how buildings behave in the real world


occupancy patterns.


REGULATORY COMPLIANCE art L and the uture Homes Standard are also pushing the market towards greater smart oning, improved effi ciency and more responsive controls. In many refurbishment projects separate control of living spaces is increasingly expected. That refl ects a wider recognition from the overnment that smarter control is one of the most effective ways to reduce energy demand without compromising comfort. For installers, that means controls are no longer a secondary consideration. Multi-zone control allows homeowners to heat spaces only when reuired, helping to reduce energy consumption while maintaining comfort where it matters most. In practice that could


mean lowering temperatures in unused bedrooms during the day while keeping living areas at a comfortable level. The challenge, however, is that comfort and effi ciency do not always naturally work together. That is where adaptive and predictive technologies are beginning to change the conversation.


THE ROLE OF AI Traditional smart heating systems have largely been reactive. Features such as pre-heat functions typically rely on historical data, often analysing around  days of usage, to estimate how long a property takes to move between temperatures. However, homes are inherently dynamic environments. Outdoor temperature fl uctuations, solar gain, occupancy patterns, fl oor slab


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