The Pros and Cons of Smart Heaters (And How to Choose One)

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As we approach the colder months of the year, it’s worth starting to think about how you’re going to heat your home. One option is smart home heating, which may be even more attractive to older residences lacking modern HVAC systems. As the name suggests, a smart heater connects to your Wi-Fi network to allow you to remotely adjust the heat level for a specific room or an entire floor (depending on the size of the unit). One of the biggest benefits of owning a smart heater is energy management, especially if your home is full of heavy-duty appliances and electronics.

Constantly running a heater is a surefire way to rack up a hefty utility bill. Luckily, many smart heaters offer a companion app that will allow you to create a personalized schedule for the device. Instead of running it for hours, you can create a weekly schedule that regularly powers and runs the heater for just a few hours and then turns it off. This SereneLife smart heater comes with a remote control, but you can also download the SereneLife app to access features like scheduling, timers, and even mode switching.

Another advantage is being able to control your smart heating with voice commands. This Dreo wall-mounted smart heater is compatible with Alexa and Google Home, meaning you can use a smart speaker or display for voice commands, or make adjustments via the Alexa or Google Home app. This is especially convenient if your radiator is on one side of a larger room and you want to make a temperature adjustment without using manual controls.

Not all smart heaters are smart ecosystem friendly (e.g. Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomeKit), but some devices actually offer offline voice controls; the device itself processes your voice prompts instead of an assistant tool like Alexa. Unfortunately, we have to look at both the pros and cons, and there are certainly some downsides to using smart heating. For starters, many of these devices are more expensive than a traditional heater. Even though the price difference isn’t huge, you could part with an additional $10-$20 upfront cost.

Another downside to consider is internet connectivity. Once you’ve added a smart heater to your Wi-Fi network, you’ve essentially opened a potential door for hackers and digital offenders to wreak havoc. We’re not saying that a smart heater is a common entry point for identity thieves, but your personal data and privacy are far more important than raising the temperature by one degree via a smart speaker. It’s also worth mentioning that an internet-connected heater may occasionally require software updates.

If automatic updates aren’t available, it’s entirely up to you to make sure your smart device is running the most up-to-date software (this is also a great way to ensure you’re getting the best security from your device). And if your network goes down, a smart heater can still work with manual controls, but you won’t be able to use apps or voice commands to adjust the temperature until the internet connection is restored.