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Best smart radiator valves
In this article
- The smart radiator valves from our tests
- The smart radiator valves we tested
- How we test smart radiator valves
- Don’t Buy smart radiator valves
- How do smart radiator valves work?
- Are smart radiator valves worth it?
- Which smart radiator valve brands offer the best software and security support?
- Installing smart radiator valves: what you need to know
Smart radiator valves let you control the temperature in individual rooms when your central heating is on. They can be programmed and controlled remotely through your smartphone.
Manufacturers promise big savings on your heating bills, and if used well, smart radiator valves can help you save energy.
You’ll sometimes see smart radiator valves called smart radiator thermostats. These aren't the same as smart thermostats (which are a related product). Smart radiator valves work locally on each radiator, while a smart thermostat controls your overall heating system and determines whether your boiler is on or off.
If you pair your smart radiator valves with a smart thermostat, you can set up a heating schedule that runs by itself.
How our tests find you the best
We've tested 20 smart radiator valves
To help you choose what to go for we assess the most popular smart radiator valves from big brands and at different price points to ensure you get the best value and performance.
Thermostat speed and accuracy
There’s nothing smart about buying a valve that doesn’t accurately record the temperature and respond quickly. We check using a temperature-controlled chamber.
Ease of use
Find out about any annoying quirks before it’s too late. Our experts flag all ease of use issues with the smart radiator valve itself and when using its accompanying app.
Security testing
Is it safe from a cyber attack? All valves go through a barrage of tests to check how well they protect you from hacking attacks, and keep your data secure and private.
The smart radiator valves from our tests
Only logged-in Which? members can view the smart radiator valve test results below.
Join Which? to get instant access to our test results and Best Buy recommendations below.
| Smart radiator valve | Price | Test score | Ease of use | Valve function | Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sign up to reveal Get instant access to this and all our scores and recommendations Unlock tableFull Access first month £5, then £11.99 per month, cancel at any time. Already a member? Log in | 83% | ||||
| 82% | |||||
| 80% | |||||
| 77% | |||||
| 75% | |||||
| 74% | |||||
| 73% | |||||
| 72% | |||||
| 72% | |||||
| 72% | |||||
| 70% | |||||
| 55% | |||||
| 36% | n/a | ||||
| 35% |
Sign up to reveal
Get instant access to this and all our scores and recommendations
Unlock tableFull Access first month £5, then £11.99 per month, cancel at any time.
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Dates tested: February 2024, October 2023, December 2022, July 2022, August 2021. Page last checked: May 2025. We're not able to show every retailer, and cheaper prices may be available. We've tested 20 smart radiator valves, but the table displays only our top picks and Don't Buys.
The smart radiator valves we tested
All the smart radiator valves we tested are listed in alphabetical order below.
Only logged-in Which? members can view the best smart radiator valves from our tests.
Join Which? to get instant access to our test results and Best Buy recommendations below.
Aqara Smart Home Radiator Thermostat E1
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Most recently tested November 2023
Need to know GPS tracking, open window detection, frost protection, on-valve controls
Drayton Wiser Smart Radiator Thermostat
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Most recently tested November 2023
Need to know Open window detection, frost protection, child lock, on-valve controls
Energenie MiHome Smart Radiator Valve Kit
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Available at Eco Wizard (£199.99)
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Most recently tested August 2021
Need to know Open window detection, frost protection, child lock, on-valve controls
Eqiva Bluetooth Smart Radiator Thermostat
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Most recently tested December 2022
Need to know Open window detection, frost protection, child lock, on-valve controls
Eve Thermo Smart Radiator Valve
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Most recently tested August 2021
Need to know Open window detection, GPS tracking, frost protection, child lock, on-valve controls
Hive Radiator Valve
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Most recently tested July 2022
Need to know GPS tracking, open window detection, frost protection, on-valve controls
Honeywell Home EvoHome Radiator Zone Kit
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Most recently tested August 2021
Need to know Open window detection, frost protection, child lock, on-valve controls
Netatmo Smart Radiator Valve Starter Pack
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Most recently tested August 2021
Need to know Open window detection, frost protection, on-valve controls
Somfy Thermostatic Radiator Valve
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Most recently tested February 2024
Need to know Open window detection, frost protection, child lock, on-valve controls
Tado Basic Smart Radiator Thermostat
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Most recently tested December 2022
Need to know Open window detection, GPS tracking, frost protection, child lock
Tado Smart Radiator Thermostat
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Most recently tested August 2021
Need to know Open window detection, GPS tracking, frost protection, child lock, on-valve controls
TP-Link Kasa Starter Kit (KE100 KIT)
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Most recently tested February 2024
Need to know GPS tracking, frost protection, child lock, on-valve controls
Worcester Bosch EasyControl Smart TRV
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Most recently tested August 2021
Need to know Open window detection, GPS tracking, frost protection, child lock, on-valve controls
WundaSmart Radiator Head
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Available from WundaSmart (£60)
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Most recently tested February 2024
Need to know GPS tracking, open window detection, frost protection, child lock, on-valve controls
How we test smart radiator valves
Only the best smart radiator valves excel in all these areas:
- Ease of use We assess how easy each smart radiator valve and its accompanying app is to use. This includes scoring for ease of installation, ease of connecting to wi-fi, and ease of adjusting settings and programming schedules.
- Speed and accuracy We put each smart radiator valve into a temperature-controlled chamber to measure how accurately it detects the room's temperature. We also evaluate how long it takes to respond when the user changes the temperature in the app and how long it takes to turn on and off after the temperature drops below and rises above the selected set temperature on the valve.
- Features Some smart radiator valves have a range of features that make life easier, such as frost protection, open window detection, boost mode, and a child lock. Our reviews run through all the features of each smart radiator valve so you can make sure you buy one that meets your needs.
- Privacy and security All valves go through a barrage of tests to check how well they protect you from hacking attacks and keep your data secure and private. If our tests flag up any causes for concern – whether it's a weakness to being hacked or problems resetting the valve if you want to pass it on – we will contact the manufacturer and work with the brand to fix it.
We regularly revisit the smart radiator valves on sale to see if there are any more popular brands that need testing, and when we find them, we do.
Find out more about how Which? is not influenced by product manufacturers or retailers and how your support helps us to stay editorially independent.
Don’t Buy smart radiator valves
Our tests uncover the best and the worst. If a product performs so poorly that we think you should avoid it, we call it a Don't Buy. We've tested two smart radiator valves that we've named Don't Buys.
Don't Buy smart radiator valves may not keep your data secure, not work as expected, or be a pain to use.
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How do smart radiator valves work?
Manual radiator valves
Before we get to smart controls, you need to know how basic valves work. The most basic type of radiator valve is a manual radiator valve. Manual valves have no way of sensing and reacting to the temperature in the room. They work similarly to a tap and control the amount of water running through the radiator.
An ordinary, manual radiator valve allows you to adjust the temperature of each individual room in your home by controlling the flow of water from your boiler to your radiator. If you turn your radiator valve up, a higher volume of hot water will enter your radiator when your central heating turns on. This will warm the room to a higher temperature.
Once you feel the room is warm enough, you will need to manually turn the radiator valve back down, or you will be wasting energy and money on heat that you don’t need. It would be easy to manually overheat.
Thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs)
The next step up from this is a thermostatic radiator valve (or TRV for short). These work in a similar way but have a sensor that can detect the room's air temperature.
As with manual radiator valves, you can use TRVs to control the heat output of individual radiators. When the surrounding air reaches a certain temperature, they limit the flow of hot water to that radiator.
A TRV could help you save money compared to a manual radiator valve, as you won’t have to remember to turn the valve down once your ideal heating level is achieved: the TRV will stop the water going to the radiator once the ideal temp has been achieved. They're particularly useful in rooms prone to overheating, such as small box rooms or those with a lot of natural light.
Whether they're manual or not, you shouldn't use a temperature-limiting valves in the room where your main boiler thermostat is, as your TRVs and thermostat will compete with each other.
They're not recommended in bathrooms either, as the humidity will interfere with their perception of the air temperature.
Smart radiator valves
The function of a smart radiator valve (or SRV for short) is exactly the same as a TRV, but with these four key advantages:
- You can control a SRV remotely through a smartphone app
- You can set up a precise heating schedule for your SRVs through a smartphone app - you might want bedrooms to stay cool during the day and then warm up in the evening, for example
- You can set the exact temperature of SRVs in degrees Celsius rather than a 0-5 scale
- Energy-saving smart features such as open window detection can help you waste less energy.
Are smart radiator valves worth it?
Ultimately, this will depend on what you want smart heating for. Smart radiator valves offer high levels of control, but that doesn't suit everyone and isn’t the right way for everyone to save money.
Most estimates on savings that can be made with smart home heating assume that, before you started using smart heating, you left your heating set to maintain a constant temperature during the day. So, if you already turn your heating off when you leave home or don't have it on for long periods of the day, you're unlikely to save as much as the manufacturers claim.
And, if your home is poorly insulated, you'll make greater savings on your energy bills by improving your home insulation first. Smart heating can then shave off a little bit more.
Small spaces, such as a one-bed flat or bedsit, tend to only have one or two radiators. So buying smart radiator valves for such homes won't be of much benefit.
While tinkering with your heating settings can result in energy savings, don't neglect other actions that could be more useful, such as lowering your boiler flow temperature.
Smart radiator valve pros
- You set the temperature in degrees celsius You might find this easier to use and more intuitive than the 0-5 scale on TRVs.
- You can change the settings remotely If you tend to keep your heating schedule consistent, then you don't need to adjust your TRVs. However, if your heating needs change and you find that you need a particular room to be warmer on certain days, you could save energy by turning the valve down when you're not there. In that scenario, it would be necessary to adjust your TRVs manually.
- You can see how much you're heating Many smart heating apps allow you to monitor your energy use, making it easier to see where you could be saving money.
- You can create zoned heating If you want smart heating where you can control the temperature and whether the heating is on or off in each room, smart radiator valves allow you to do this.
Smart radiator valve cons
- Price Smart radiator valves typically cost between £35 and £80 each, about five times more than a traditional TRV. That cost adds up if you want smart valves on multiple radiators.
- You need a compatible smart thermostat if you want to get everything that a smart radiator valve has to offer, as this will allow your valves to communicate with the boiler to turn it on and off.
- You're locked into a brand if you want to expand Most smart radiator valves aren’t compatible with smart thermostats and connecting devices from other brands. This means you'll have to buy into one brand's ecosystem. If you already have a smart thermostat and are looking to buy SRVs, they will probably have to be from the same manufacturer that made your thermostat.
Which smart radiator valve brands offer the best software and security support?
Software and security support are important considerations when buying a smart radiator valve, since this will dictate how long the brand aims to continue updating the device with new features and security patches, to guard against emerging threats.
We reached out to the biggest brands to find out more about support policies, and some are far better than others.
- Tado said it will offer an impressive 10 years of support for its products.
- Drayton appears to offer five years of update support from launch.
- Honeywell said it will offer two years of support from when the product is last available to buy.
- Worcester Bosch said its smart controller will get two years of support.
Other brands, including Netatmo, Energenie, Salus and Eve did not provide us with specific information on update support periods.
While you may not be at immediate risk if you're using a device that's unsupported, it's obviously desirable to buy and use a device that you know will receive update support for a decent period of time. For more information, read our guide to smart devices and security.
Installing smart radiator valves: what you need to know
You can install an SRV without needing the help of a professional if the radiator already has a TRV. If you're replacing manual valves with TRVs or SRVs you will likely need a plumber to set them up.
If replacing TRVs with SRVs, in most cases, you simply:
- Remove the old TRV from your radiator
- Attach the correct adapter (your SRV may come with adaptors for common radiator designs)
- Put the batteries into your new SRV
- Attach the SRV to your radiator.
You will also need to set up the manufacturer’s internet bridge or gateway.
This is a connecting device which plugs into your broadband modem and allows your smart appliances (in this case, your SRVs) to be controlled by your smartphone app.
If you already have a smart thermostat, you've more than likely got the manufacturer's connecting device already. If you're just starting out with smart heating, most manufacturers sell starter packs that include a connecting device, smart thermostat and/or smart radiator valves.
Most smart radiator valves will not work with another manufacturer's smart thermostat and connecting device, so make sure everything you buy is compatible.