Smart Thermostat Benefits: Why Use One With Infrared Heating?

1. More Precise Temperature Control

Basic heating arrangements can leave too much responsibility with manual switching. A thermostat changes this by controlling the heating in response to a target temperature.

This means you can:

• Set an appropriate target temperature for the heating zone
• Reduce the temperature when a room is not being used
• Avoid relying on someone to manually switch heaters off
• Maintain a more consistent heating routine

Once the thermostat determines that additional heat is not required, it can stop calling for heat until the temperature falls sufficiently for heating to be required again.

2. Create Heating Schedules Around Your Routine

One of the biggest advantages of thermostatic control is that the heating does not need to follow the same pattern all day.

A programmable smart thermostat can be scheduled around the times a room or heating zone is actually occupied.

Better scheduling does not guarantee a particular percentage saving, because consumption depends on the building, heater output, temperature settings and operating time. Its value is in helping you avoid heating periods that are not required.

3. Control Your Heating Remotely

Wi-Fi connectivity adds another useful layer of control: you do not necessarily need to be standing beside the thermostat to change the heating.

With a compatible smart thermostat and app, remote access can allow you to:

• Adjust the target temperature
• Change heating schedules
• Turn heating control on or off remotely
• Make changes when your plans change
• Prepare a room or heating zone before it is required

This can be particularly useful in properties where occupancy changes regularly, or where the person responsible for the heating is not always on site.

4. Reduce Unnecessary Heating

A thermostat does not reduce the electrical wattage of an infrared heater. A 700W heater, for example, still draws its rated power while it is actively heating.

The opportunity to manage consumption comes from controlling when that heater needs to operate.

Temperature control and schedules can help prevent heating from operating for longer than required or at times when the room is unoccupied.

This distinction is important when considering infrared heating running costs: the maximum cost while a heater is operating can be calculated from its wattage and electricity tariff, while actual consumption over time also depends on how long it runs.

5. Create Separate Heating Zones

Not every room in a building needs to be heated to the same temperature or at the same time.

Zoning allows the heating system to reflect how the property is actually used. Importantly, one thermostat normally controls its own heating zone. If you want independently controlled zones, each zone requires its own appropriate control arrangement.

Larger properties and commercial installations can therefore use multiple thermostats to create independently controlled heating zones where appropriate.

6. Why Smart Thermostats Work Well With Infrared Heating

Infrared heating can be designed around individual rooms and heating zones rather than requiring every area of a property to operate from one identical heating schedule.

Depending on the installation, this could involve wall-mounted infrared panels, ceiling-mounted infrared panels or higher-output infrared bar heaters.

A compatible external thermostat then provides the control layer for the heaters connected to that particular zone, determining when heating is required according to the target temperature and schedule.

This complements the wider environmental benefits of infrared heating by giving the user greater control over when electrical energy is actually used.

7. Can One Smart Thermostat Control Multiple Infrared Heaters?

Yes. One thermostat can form the control point for multiple compatible non-thermostat infrared heaters where those heaters are intended to operate together as one heating zone.

For example, several infrared heaters installed across one large hall, warehouse or open-plan space may all need to respond to the same temperature setting and operating schedule.

In that situation, central control can be much simpler than independently managing every heater.

This does not mean that one thermostat independently controls several different rooms. If rooms need different temperatures or schedules, they should be designed as separate heating zones with suitable independent control.

8. Smart Control Can Make Heating Easier to Manage

The benefit is not only energy management. Smart control can make a heating system considerably easier to live with.

Instead of repeatedly visiting a thermostat or manually switching heaters, schedules can handle much of the normal day-to-day operation for that heating zone.

Remote access also gives you the ability to make changes when circumstances change.

For a business, landlord or larger property, that can be particularly useful where the person responsible for heating is not permanently present in the heated area.

Does a Smart Thermostat Automatically Save Money?

No thermostat can guarantee a particular saving.

Heating cost depends on the electrical load, electricity tariff, building heat loss, required temperature, weather and how long the heating operates.

What a smart thermostat gives you is the ability to manage operating time and temperature more deliberately.

If that control prevents rooms being heated unnecessarily or reduces avoidable operating time, electricity consumption can be lower than it would have been under that less controlled usage pattern.

Correct heater sizing matters too. Use our infrared heating wattage calculator to estimate the output required for your rooms before choosing the heating system and controls.

Smart Thermostat vs Built-In Thermostat

An external smart thermostat is not the only way to control infrared heating.

Some RADI8 heaters include their own built-in thermostat, Wi-Fi and remote control. These models allow each heater to be managed individually.

The key distinction is therefore:

• External thermostat: particularly useful for controlling one or more compatible non-thermostat heaters together as a single heating zone.
• Built-in thermostat: useful where individual heater control is preferred.

Neither arrangement is universally better. The correct choice depends on the number of heaters, room layout and whether you want the heaters operating together or independently.

Frequently Asked Questions

Smart Thermostat Benefits: The Bottom Line

The biggest benefit of a smart thermostat is control. It allows you to decide more precisely when heating operates, what temperature it should maintain and how an individual room or heating zone should be managed.

For infrared heating, this can be particularly useful because the system can be divided into separate heating zones rather than requiring the entire property to follow one identical heating schedule.

Smart control does not magically make a heater use less electricity while it is operating. Instead, its value comes from helping ensure the heating operates when and where it is actually required.

Explore our range of smart thermostats or start with our wattage calculator if you are planning a new infrared heating system.