Netatmo: Smart Thermostat and Connected Valves

In order to reduce my oil consumption, I looked for a modern thermostat. I might as well choose a connected model!

After several searches, I settled on the Netatmo smart thermostat. Although our boiler is already 20 years old, it accepts a thermostat and can thus benefit from a touch of modernity.

A user-friendly and practical app

This thermostat is connected to WiFi, allowing for remote control. I also wanted to simplify the management of time slots. No more fiddling with buttons on an outdated box!

Once connected to the boiler, I simply inserted the batteries and synced the device with the app. Within minutes, I could adjust the temperature of our living room from my smartphone.

Another advantage: the thermostat is wireless. It can be easily moved to measure the temperature where it matters most. In our case, it’s located in the dining room.

Energy savings and consumption reports

After a few weeks of use, I better understood and adjusted the heating periods. The Netatmo app offers a “smart” mode. This mode automatically adjusts the boiler start times to reach the target temperature at the desired time.

However, I disabled this option. For us, the comfort gain was minimal, while the boiler was running more often.

Two years later, I notice a significant reduction in the boiler's operating time. This translates to interesting savings, visible through the graphs provided in the app.

On the web version of the dashboard, it is possible to obtain even more information, such as heating forecasts.

For example, adding connected valves in our offices slightly increased the overall operating time.

Netatmo connected valves: room-by-room control

In addition to the thermostat, I installed some Netatmo connected valves. These allow for individual temperature management of each room or radiator.

Once the target temperature is reached in a room, the thermostat stops heating. However, our offices sometimes remain too cool, which was uncomfortable during remote work.

To solve this issue, I added two connected valves in the offices. I configured them to take priority over the main thermostat. Thus, even if the temperature is correct in the room where the thermostat is located, a radiator continues to heat if necessary.

In the example below, office 2 still requires heat, while office 1 has already reached its target temperature (21.5 °C).

Conclusion

The addition of the Netatmo connected thermostat and its valves has not been a wasted investment. We have significantly reduced our oil consumption while gaining comfort.

Admittedly, it’s a considerable initial investment, but with a bit of patience and observation, it is possible to achieve significant savings. As I explained in my article Amazon: Find the Best Price at a Glance! , good preparation can make all the difference, even for this type of purchase.

Moreover, this system can integrate with a home automation platform like HomeAssistant. This allows for creating custom scenarios or enhancing a home automation dashboard.

If you’re looking to modernize your heating while saving money, I highly recommend this solution.