Automation, Controls & BMS

HVAC automation - thermostats, zoning, weather compensation, Smart Home, BMS

Even the most expensive and efficient heating or cooling machine is "blind" without the right control system. Automation is the brain of your installation, responsible for ultimate thermal comfort and drastic reduction of energy waste.

In this section, we leave behind old switches and enter a new era: from high-precision digital thermostats and room-by-room independence (Zoning), to Smart Homes and advanced Building Management Systems (BMS). Learn how correct settings supercharge performance and how to control your home's climate literally from your phone screen.

Local Control & Thermostats

The user's direct interface with the system. A simple wall thermostat seems insignificant, but how it "reads" the space and commands the boiler or heat pump determines whether you freeze, overheat, or waste electricity.

Mechanical (Bimetallic) vs Digital Thermostats.

The evolution of accuracy. See why replacing an old mechanical thermostat with its characteristic "click" can alone save you up to 10% on fuel.

What are PID Controllers?

How modern thermostats "learn" how quickly your home heats up and when to cut the boiler to prevent Overshoot (unnecessary overheating).

Thermostat infographic - mechanical, digital, PID, placement

5 Tragic Thermostat Placement Mistakes.

Why we never place it near a radiator, on an external wall, in direct sunlight or in air drafts. The ultimate correct placement guide.

AC Remote Controls & The I-Feel Function.

How to correctly use your remote's built-in sensor so the air conditioner adjusts temperature based on where you are sitting, not where the machine is.

Zoning & Flow Control

Want 20°C in the bedroom for perfect sleep and 23°C in the living room? The central hallway thermostat is no longer enough. Here we analyse technically how to "split" the house into independent thermal zones, increasing comfort and reducing costs.

What is Zone Control (Zoning) and why do you need it?

Basic autonomy principles. A design guide for having different temperatures and different operating schedules in each room.

Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRVs): Installation & Setup.

The cheapest and most immediate way to get zoning in an old house, by fitting smart valves directly onto the radiator bodies.

Zoning infographic - TRV, wiring centres, motorised dampers

Wiring Centres & Thermal Actuators.

Electrician & plumber's guide. How we control underfloor heating room by room through the actuators that clip onto the manifold.

Motorised Dampers for Ductwork.

How we create independent zones in central ducted air conditioning (e.g. with Airzone systems), opening and closing airflow inside the ducts.

Bypass Valves (Differential Pressure Valves).

The essential "safety valve". What happens to circulator pressure when all house zones suddenly close and how we protect the system from burning out.

Weather Compensation & Central Control

The heart of energy savings. Weather compensation is the "autopilot" of your building, continuously monitoring weather conditions and adjusting machinery operation before you even feel the cold penetrating the walls.

What is Weather Compensation and how does it work?

The most important economy rule, especially for heat pumps. Why we should not send a constant 70°C water to radiators when it is 15°C outside.

How to set the Heating Curve.

A practical guide (DIY/Pro) to finding and programming the mathematical curve that dictates ideal water temperature based on how cold it is outside.

Weather compensation infographic - heating curve, sensors, cascade

Outdoor Temperature Sensor Placement.

Where should it go? Learn why it must be placed on a north-facing wall, at a specific height and away from sunlight, to feed reliable data to the boiler.

Boiler Room Controllers (Cascade Controllers).

How we smartly manage multiple boilers or heat pumps (in series or parallel) in large apartment buildings and commercial premises for maximum efficiency.

Smart Home, IoT & BMS (Building Management Systems)

Full digitalisation and unification of the entire building on one screen. Discover how HVAC "goes online", communicates with other devices, obeys voice commands and manages energy based on dynamic electricity tariffs.

Smart Thermostats (Nest, Tado, Netatmo): Are they worth it?

How they are installed, programmed from your phone and how Geofencing technology works (heating turns on as your phone approaches the house).

Communication Protocols (KNX, Modbus, BACnet).

What the engineer needs to know about integrating air conditioners, boilers and pumps into the central Management System (BMS) of a Smart Building.

Smart Home infographic - KNX, Zigbee, Home Assistant, energy monitoring

Zigbee & Wi-Fi in HVAC: Affordable solutions for renovations.

The wireless revolution. Create a smart temperature control system with wireless relay switches, smart plugs and micro-sensors, without renovations.

Home Assistant & HVAC: The ultimate local management.

How to integrate all your HVAC devices into the top open-source ecosystem, ensuring 100% privacy, speed and operation without Cloud.

Energy Monitoring & Smart Meters.

How to see in real time (live) how many Watts your heat pump consumes using CT Clamps, for absolute cost control.

Main HVAC Guide

Return to the full heating-cooling guide for energy production, hydraulic networks, emission systems, ventilation and energy design.

Go to guide

Need help choosing?

Planning heating automation or a smart home system - contact us for expert guidance.