Smart Radiator Valves

Discover the Best Radiator Valves for your Smart Home.

Similar to smart thermostats, smart TRVs (Thermostatic Radiator Valves) are heating controllers designed to improve your comfort and convenience while enhancing your home’s energy efficiency.

Unlike traditional thermostats, TRVs are specialized devices installed on individual radiators. They enable independent temperature control in each room by regulating the flow of hot water into the radiator, maintaining desired room temperatures and maximizing energy efficiency.

When paired with a quality thermostat, you can elevate your comfort to the next level. In this guide, we'll explore the best smart TRVs for your home and provide all the necessary information to help you choose the right device.

How hard is it to install a smart TRV?

Although it might not seem like it, installing a TRV is quite straightforward. It’s a simple and non-invasive process, which involves removing your existing valve head and replacing it with a smart TRV. You can finish the whole procedure in under 10 minutes, and it's something anyone can handle.

In some cases, you may need a special adapter fitted in place by a professional. However, this is rarely necessary as most radiators adhere to certain standards and the TRVs recommended in our Best Buy Guide are compatible with most radiator models.

Choosing the right smart TRV

Homey supports a wide variety of smart TRVs, ranging from individually operated units to those integrated via a central control hub. In addition to ensuring compatibility with your smart home thermostat, it's crucial to consider additional features such as reliable communication protocols, battery longevity, and build quality.

With that in mind, here’s what to look for in a smart TRV:

• Compatibility - Verify compatibility with your existing heating control system to avoid issues and ensure seamless integration into your smart home setup. If you do not have an existing heating system, opt for standalone TRVs that don’t require a hub and can be integrated in Homey directly.
• Connectivity - Look for TRVs with reliable connectivity options such as Z-Wave or Zigbee, ensuring a stable connection and a longer battery life.
• Additional Features - Consider the importance of additional features, such as scheduling capabilities, open window detection, and energy monitoring outlined in our article.
• Build Quality - Assess the build quality of the smart TRV highlighted in our Best Buy Guide, to ensure durability and longevity, as well as compatibility with different radiator types and sizes for easy installation.
• Price - Deploying multiple TRVs can easily strain your budget, so make an informed choice by considering the price-to-benefits ratio highlighted in our article.

Brand	Model	Protocol	Standalone	Price
Aeotec	Radiator Thermostat	Z-Wave		€49.99
Aqara	E1 Radiator Thermostat	Zigbee		€44.00
Danfoss	Ally Radiator Thermostat	Zigbee		€74.19
Eurotronic	Comet Z-Wave TRV	Z-Wave		€59.95
Eve	Thermo	Thread		€79.95
Fibaro	Heat Controller	Z-Wave		€79.99
Meross	MTS150 Thermostat Valve	Wi-Fi		€44.99
Netatmo	Smart Radiator Valve	Wi-Fi		€89.99
Plugwise	Tom Radiator Knob	Zigbee		€99.99
Tado	Smart Radiator Thermostat	Wi-Fi		€89.99

The Aeotec Radiator Thermostat stands out as a highly dependable smart TRV that seamlessly integrates with your Homey Bridge or Homey Pro via Z-Wave Plus. With Z-Wave, it establishes a stable and robust connection, ensuring uninterrupted communication and an “always online” functionality. Powered by a pair of AA batteries, it boasts an impressive battery life of up to 1 year.

The Aeotec Radiator Thermostat features three buttons and a backlit LCD screen, allowing for convenient manual adjustments of the set temperature on the spot. When paired with Homey, this TRV enables users to effortlessly monitor and adjust the target temperature and thermostat mode, as well as keep track of battery life. It includes a built-in child lock mode that can be activated to prevent access to the device's physical buttons.

The Aeotec Radiator Thermostat doesn’t offer a modern or visually pleasing design like others on our list, which can be a deterrent to some users.

The Aqara E1 is a beautifully designed radiator thermostat with a high-contrast color display, offering great viewing angles and crisp, colorful icons. Instead of buttons, the E1 is equipped with a rotating knob for changing the set temperature, delivering a nice, satisfying click as feedback with each turn.

This smart TRV comes with a bunch of adapters for easy installation, making it compatible with most radiators out there, including all Danfoss radiators. In rare cases (monotube radiators), you will need an aftermarket adapter installed by a professional.

The Aqara E1 is a standalone radiator thermostat, using Zigbee 3.0 to connect to your Homey Bridge and Homey Pro. Thanks to Zigbee and its energy efficient hardware, the Aqara E1 has a battery life of 1 year.

In Homey, you can read and change the temperature, create heating schedules, set thermostat mode and monitor battery life. 

The Aqara E1 is a very budget friendly option, ideal for large-scale deployment. The only downside of the Aqara E1 is that this TRV is not completely silent, creating an audible noise whenever the motor is operating the valve.

The Danfoss Ally TRV is a smart radiator thermostat offered by Danfoss, a global leader in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.

This model is equipped with three physical buttons installed along its simple LCD screen, for manually changing the temperature. The Danfoss Ally features a neutral, compact design which fits very well with most room interiors. Guests won’t even know you have a smart TRV!

Communicating over Zigbee with your Homey Bridge or Homey Pro, the Danfoss Ally allows you to change the temperature and monitor battery usage. The TRV itself doesn’t support any additional features like child lock mode, open window detection or native heating schedules.

Danfoss boasts an incredibly long 5-year battery life on their Ally TRVs, making it the best TRV if battery longevity is your primary goal. While this TRV comes with a certain quality assurance from the company, it costs more than comparable thermostats.

The Eurotronic Comet Z-Wave is the latest addition to the smart thermostat line-up of the well-known German manufacturer. This TRV fits almost all radiators from a variety of manufacturers, although you might need to purchase an adequate adapter separately. 

This pear-shaped TRV features a clean, glossy display, showcasing the current room temperature. Instead of a knob, there are two capacitive touch buttons which are used for changing the target temperature and accessing the built-in device controls.

The Eurotronic Comet TRV is capable of detecting an open window, changing the heating mode automatically. For parents, there is a child lock feature bundled in a parental controls menu, as well as a vacation/holiday control mode. This TRV operates very quietly, you will barely notice your radiator valve being closed.

This TRV is available in both Wi-Fi and Z-Wave variants, although using Z-Wave to connect to your Homey directly is preferable and requires no additional hubs, resulting in a better, more stable connection. 

Once paired to Homey, you can remotely change the target temperature, set operation mode, create heating schedules and even set the position of the valve as a percentage (e.g. Open 40%).

The Eurotronic Z-Wave is larger than most radiator thermostats, which is important to consider if your goal is to conceal the device.

If you're in search of a smart TRV with Matter support, check out the newest offering from Eve, known as Eve Thermo. This device uses the Thread protocol to communicate with your Homey Pro, ensuring a secure and dependable connection.

Integrated in Homey, you can control the Eve Thermo, set heating schedules, enable child lock mode or vacation mode and install firmware updates on the fly. This TRV also uses a set of AA batteries, which can power the device from 9-12 months.

The Eve Thermo has a built-in LED screen for displaying the temperature, along with two capacitive touch buttons for changing it on the fly. The attractive minimalistic design makes it very appealing for modern homes, vacation houses and villas. 

It's worth noting that the Eve Thermo is bigger and bulkier than other thermostats on our list, you will not be able to easily hide it if that’s your goal.

The Fibaro Heat Controller is a top-tier smart TRV made by the reputable Polish brand of the same name, utilizing Z-Wave technology to seamlessly integrate with your Homey Bridge or Homey Pro. Its sleek design, resembling a small light bulb, is complimented by a stylish LED ring used as a visual indicator.

One of its best features is its ability to learn the layout of your room. After installation, it scans the space and adapts its heating pattern accordingly. This enables precise and intelligent heat management, maximizing comfort while optimizing energy usage.

It's also smart enough to notice sudden temperature drops, like when a window is opened, and will adjust heating automatically to save energy. If you have children, it has a local protection mode for turning off the manual knob for an added peace of mind.

What's neat about the Fibaro Heat Controller is that it uses a rechargeable battery, which can last through the heating season. When integrated with Homey, you can easily check battery levels and room temperature, and control it all from your phone.

Its advanced room scanning feature, beautiful design and small footprint come at a premium, making the Fibaro Heat Controller pricier than comparable models.

The Meross MTS150 is a sleek and elegant smart TRV, featuring a clean, all-white design and a modern status display. It can be attached to most radiators, including all Danfoss models and ships with all the necessary adapters for an easy installation.

This model supports local schedules and open window detection, automatically turning off your radiator to save energy. In Homey, you can view the current temperature and change the target temperature, as well as set the TRV operation mode.

The Meross MTS150 requires a dedicated mini-hub for pairing the TRV with platforms like Homey, although it communicates with the hub using 433 MHz technology. A single hub can support up to 16 separate TRVs.

At a price of around €30 per piece, this Meross TRV is a very affordable option and a great choice for mass deployment.

If you own Netatmo's Smart Thermostat, consider enhancing your heating system by adding Netatmo's Smart Radiator Valves. These valves utilize long-range radio signals to connect with the main thermostat, effectively transforming your home into a multi-zone heating setup.

Made from translucent plexiglass, the Netatmo Smart Radiator Valve features a sleek and timeless design. If it weren’t for the small status screen, it would be easy to mistake it for a regular radiator valve.

The Radiator Valves come equipped with an Auto-Adapt feature that automatically adjusts heating based on outdoor temperature and home insulation levels, ensuring a consistently comfortable indoor temperature.

In addition to managing all valves through the Smart Thermostat, users can individually control each TRV within their Homey. This includes setting target temperatures, adjusting operation modes, and configuring heating programs to suit specific preferences.

Netatmo Smart Radiator valves use a set of AA batteries which last around 2 years, thanks to their low-power radio communication method. 

One thing worth noting is that Netatmo TRVs need recalibration after they are installed, since the reading temperature is usually off by +3 degrees.

The Plugwise Tom Radiator Knob is a smart TRV that you can use to expand your existing Plugwise heating system. Its brother, Plugwise Floor, specializes in underfloor heating systems, usually installed in the distribution box. 

This device blends seamlessly in your home decor, since it resembles a regular radiator knob and can be installed on most radiator types. You can use batteries or an adapter to power the TRV, which changes the behavior of the device in a Zigbee network. With batteries, it operates as an End Device and saves power. When plugged in, it acts as a router, relaying traffic from adjacent Toms and solidifies your Zigbee network.

The Plugwise Tom is an excellent choice for a smart TRV if you already own other Plugwise heating devices, like their Anna or Lisa thermostat controllers. Even though the knob uses Zigbee to communicate, their Adam HA is needed for operation and you can add a total of 80 Toms to a single hub!

Paired to Homey, you can adjust the temperature, create heating zones and set up Flow cards for each individual Tom, fully automating your heating setup.

The Plugwise Tom Radiator knobs are expensive, retailing for around €99 each and their cost is only justified if you’ve already invested in a Plugwise heating system.

Similarly to Plugwise and Netatmo, the Tado Radiator Thermostat is a smart TRV used to expand your existing Tado heating system. The device is considered an add-on and can be used only with Tado’s Internet Bridge, part of the Starter Kit.

This TRV features a LED matrix display screen, showcasing the current temperature in a very elegant and minimalistic way. Turning the knob allows you to change the target temperature on the fly, or disable it with the child lock feature.

The Tado Radiator Thermostat is powered by a set of AA batteries, which can last up to 2 years thanks to the low-power radio signal communication method. This also allows the Tado TRVs to communicate over a large distance of up to 100 meters, making it suitable for large homes and detached houses.

The Tado Heating system, including the TRVs, are fully supported in Homey and Homey Pro. You can change temperature, set heating schedules, measure humidity or pause the operation of the device. 

Deploying many of these specialized TRVs can be hard on your wallet, but they do elevate the comfort level of your home and save you money in the long run.

Summary

If your ultimate goal is to save energy, you'll find that a reliable combination of a smart thermostat and a capable TRV is essential. Operating these devices remotely with Homey is as easy as it sounds, elevating convenience and comfort levels.

From standalone options like the Aqara E1 and Eutronic Comet to compatible add-on TRVs for your current heating system such as Netatmo, Tado, and Plugwise, this Best Buy Guide assists you in making an informed decision.