Integrating Smart Technology Into Hydronic Heating Systems

Plumbing and heating engineers and contractors face a more discerning customer base, with buyers used to seeing more smart gadgets appear around homes and office builds. While the likes of the Nest Thermostat is approaching its 15th birthday, smart technology continues to evolve as (primarily domestic) customers look to adapt to a more unpredictable and toxic climate, and to situations like remote and at-home working. 

Making Homes and Heating Smarter  

Smart homes are not new, but the idea is spreading across the broad homeowner base and beyond technology-aware buyers who like the latest gadgets. Therefore, the following situations are increasingly common across US homes. 

• Customers are becoming more flexible in their daily routine and expect to be able to better control their home temperature.

• Remote workers want a single heated room during cooler times and not waste energy heating the whole house.

• People are becoming more concerned about local and home air quality and want more information about their domestic environment. 

• Home and local security is becoming a major part of residents’ concerns, and smart technology can provide them with reassurance.

And with customer awareness increasing, installers and engineers need to be on the case with the latest products and technologies, explaining them in a simple way to the consumer alongside the potential for impressive Hydronic systems. 

Making Plumbing and Hydronics Smarter

Hydronic heating is the method of choice for some two-thirds of the world, especially those that live in temperate zones. It is efficient and economical, and has a longer lasting warming effect than heat pump air conditioning or other methods of air heating.

As parts of the US have longer and more variable Spring/Fall seasons and sharper winter colds, more are investing in the technology, alongside smart home gadgets to maximize the efficiency of their units. A nice, warm, radiator is also a magnet for happier pets, and modern radiators or towel rails can stylishly fit into any designer home space and be a statement or as a subtle part of the design. 

Alternative hydronic methods include underfloor heating or air convection units. Heat pump hydronic air systems straddle the central heating and central air technologies, with WiFi and Wireless heat-pump units enabling remote smart control in kitchens and bathrooms, independent of the main heating system, as a part of an overall smart approach. 

The smart element can be added as an aftermarket addition, from vendors such as Nest, Hive, and Ecobee, along with traditional brands, like Lowes and Honeywell. Solutions range from the single thermostat controllable remotely, and measuring historical usage patterns or local weather to predict the best settings, with some technologies supporting integrations with property management software to help small landlords analyze energy-usage more efficiently.

Advanced solutions can include per-room controls and thermostats for more granular heating and a blended approach of radiators and air systems to cater to the needs of the modern family. 

Explaining these options to a prospective customer and the simplicity of operation is a key way to upsell to more traditional buyers, while many now have a good grasp of their specific smart requirements, and will expect installers to understand and meet them.  

The Benefits of Hydronic Systems

Hydronic heating systems offer many benefits to consumers, including:

• High energy efficiency, using water to move and store heat around the home. 

• They are quiet with none of the fan noise associated with AC and other fan heating systems.

• Hydronic systems maintain humidity rather than drying out the atmosphere in a room. 

• Reduced maintenance as there are fewer moving parts. 

• Smart systems provide zones around a home that can be customized by the owner.

• Hydronic systems function with all types of energy from solar to gas, and even hydrogen if that takes off commercially. 

A Medical Focus on Air Quality

As part of the heat and environmental equation, residents are increasingly concerned about the air quality of their homes. COVID has done irreparable damage to the respiratory systems of millions of people, while those with Asthma and other medical conditions like COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) are more concerned about the air they breathe.

Contractors and installers working on a smart home heating installation, can recommend and add air quality sensors as a valuable upsell. These help property owners and managers keep track of air quality, pollutants, volatile organic compounds and the deadly carbon dioxide CO2 gas. 

They not only provide alerts about problems within the property, but from outside, such as growing traffic, industrial or waste pollution. For high-risk residents, alerts can get them to close windows to external pollution sources or open them in the air if the property is falling in quality. For serious issues they can be encouraged to call out an engineer to investigate. 

Prospects can also be sold on hydronic heating as it offers a typically draft-free solution that minimizes the circulation of dust and germs, and smells from the kitchen or bathroom. 

More Homes Entering the Smart Era

As sales of hydronic installations grow, smart technology follows them into homes. Fortune Business Insights reports that globally, the hydronics market was valued at $3.79 billion in 2023 and will grow from $3.85 billion in 2024 to $5.43 billion by 2032, up by a 4.41%  CAGR over that period. A substantial amount of that business is in the US, 

Compare that to the smart home industry with comparable global growth figures of $101.07 billion in 2023. Growing from $121.59 billion in 2024 to $633.20 billion by 2032, for a 22.9% CAGR rate. With the US likely to account for over $105 billion by 2032, 

Contractors and installers that can add a smart home feature to a hydronic installation could see a longer-term value from upselling, upgrading and installation of future systems and accessories in the smarter home as we approach 2030. 

And by adding the health value of air quality sensors to the system, there is a greater sense of wellbeing and a holistic nature that can counter many buyers’ aversion to technology that is ever-present and always sensing resident activity.