Energenie Smart Home Power and Heating Upgrade Review

Installation

Smart Plugs

Again, you just add these devices between your mains power and the device plug. Pairing them in the mobile app is easily done too. Just hold the power button until it flashes, the device will show up, pair and name it and save. Say you call it “living room fan” then you can use Alexa with commands like “turn on living room fan” or obviously “turn off living room fan”. Again, what you plug in will vary, it could be a lamp, an electric blanket, or your hair straighteners. Furthermore, you can then use the app to set timers, so a device will automatically turn on or off at a required time.

Radiator Valves

Fitting the radiator values takes just a few minutes. Once installed, I think they look pretty fantastic in place of the old tap. I mean, I don’t have the best looking radiators anyway, but I like that there’s a bit of modern tech stuck on there. It’s taking existing old technology and breathing a new level of practicality and functionality into it. Rather than replacing the whole system with new radiators, you’re up-cycling what you have and that’s brilliant. Pairing them with the smart hub is easy enough too. Just hold the button till they flash, it’ll show in the mobile app, then simply name the device and save. Got more than one of them? Simply repeat the process.

Thermostat

This is pretty easy to set up too. The only thing that really matters is that it’s compatible with your boiler. It is very widely compatible, as it uses the industry standard COM signal cable which simply sends an “on/off” signal to the boiler. You can get a professional to fit it too if you want, it’s an easy job for an experienced fitter and shouldn’t be expensive either. Electrical safety is important too since it uses the boilers 230v cable, you’ll need to switch off your electrics to wire in those two cables of face a pretty severe electrical shock. Again though, technically it’s no harder or more complicated than wiring a plug, and screwing a bit of plastic to the wall.

As for the setup, the device is easily paired with the hub using the mobile app. Since you already did the same with your radiator valves and plugs, they’ll all show in the app. You can then simply pair them into groups, rooms, name the devices etc. You’ll then want to tell your Alexa (if you have one) “Alexa, discover new devices” and she’ll add them to her library. From that point on, you can use commands like “Alexa, set living room to 25c” or “Alexa, turn set bedroom radiator to 15c” and the system will turn the main heating, or a radiator on/off to get the required result. It really is that easy.

IFTTT

This is a real rabbit hole that you can jump into. It’s a simple app that runs on rules. Basically “If this then that” is what it does. It’s not just an Energenie thing, but it works with emails, social media, the weather, sensors, smart lighting, your car, and a thousand things more. If you get a notification on social media, it can flash a Philips Hue bulb. If your electric car is charged, it can send you an email, and all other kinds of fun things. In this case, though, I could tell it to turn my heating on when I’m near home, or turn my boiler on when it’s a cold morning, or turn it off if it’s going to be a hot day. Check out the site here to see just how much you can do.