Easytron case study
Stiebel Eltron provides smart heating system at heritage barn conversion
Stiebel Eltron has installed its innovative Easytron smart heating system at a period property in North Yorkshire, overcoming significant site challenges to provide tailored heating across the property.
Easytron’s simple app interface gives residents the power to see and adjust set temperatures in each individual room. Control via mobile phone offers the benefits of remote use – meaning residents can turn on and adjust heating patterns for those in the home even when they are away on holiday.
It brings together all of the home’s heating systems and ensures heat is used in the most efficient manner, saving money on bills and further lowering the building’s carbon footprint.
The Easytron system at this property is also retrofitted to an existing heating system driven by a Stiebel Eltron ground source heat pump, meaning it bolsters an already highly sustainable option.
This building’s heritage features, including internal walls that are 2 feet thick in places, and its T-shaped layout presented a number of challenges in installing a smart heating system. In particular signal strength between the central unit and room sensors was an issue. The team overcame this by integrating Stiebel Eltron’s unique signal boosters throughout the property to ensure that each radiator received the necessary signal to ensure they are permanently connected to the main unit.
The system allows users to alter settings via a smartphone or tablet as well as automatically manage heat levels in rooms that are not used regularly. This makes heating homes simpler, more cost effective and more efficient, and also prevents damp from forming in rooms that would otherwise have been left too cold – a key issue for older properties.
Easytron is compatible with radiators, underfloor heating and heat pumps, and includes additional levels of control when connected to Stiebel Eltron’s own heat pump systems.
Sean Sowden, co-founder of Go Geothermal and owner of the home, said: “This is a superb system that provides us with the invaluable ability to tailor the heating in our home to our own personal preferences while reducing energy wastage.
“It was really important to us to minimise the impact our home had on the environment, and this technology has allowed us to achieve this, as well as making our heating a far more intuitive system.
“Easytron has really shown that you don’t have to limit the renewable options available to you when renovating a period property. It’s an exciting development and could be vital for so many looking to bring heritage buildings up to modern technology and sustainability standards.”
Mark McManus, managing director at Stiebel Eltron UK, said: “Smart heating systems like Easytron are a vital part of the future built environment. They have a marked impact on both bills and energy efficiency and will be key to creating sustainable homes as the UK looks to strengthen its response to climate change.
“Installing this technology at a period barn conversion provided the perfect testing ground for the Easytron’s viability in challenging retrofit schemes. Ultimately the technology has more than met the challenge, overcoming these obstacles and demonstrating its adaptability.
“This project is a fantastic demonstration that smart heating systems need not be exclusive to new-build properties. Innovation has provided us with the means to bring all homes up to energy efficiency and comfort standards, even in situations with period properties with difficult features.”