What is a Smart Thermostat?

A smart thermostat is a room thermostat heating control that lets you manage the temperature in a property remotely, either using a mobile app, a website, or voice commands. However, unlike traditional thermostats, smart thermostats offer additional benefits that help save energy. For example, they:

• Allow remote control from anywhere, making it simple to adjust heating when you're not at home.
• Automate heating schedules so you can match your daily routines, ensuring better efficiency. 
• Provide a controlled BOOST button for instant heating when needed. 
• Offer energy reports with graphs so you can track usage to make better adjustments.

Why Should Landlords Use a Smart, Thermostat?

If your tenants pay the bills - installing a simple smart thermostat such as the Hive Thermostat or Tado Thermostat can be a great selling point for your rental property. Not only does it allow your tenants to control their heating remotely, but it also helps them manage their energy usage, ultimately saving them money.

On the other hand, if you include utility bills in the rent - then keeping costs under control becomes even more important. At the same time you still need to ensure that the tenants remain happy.

Fortunately, there are smart thermostats specifically designed for shared houses or HMOs (Homes of Multiple Occupation) and short-term rentals like Airbnb. These models offer useful features such as remote access, tamper-proof settings, and detailed energy usage reports. By preventing excessive or wasted heating, they can help landlords save up to 40% on energy bills all while keeping tenants happy!

In this post we'll explore the best smart thermostats available in the UK for landlords who include bills in the rent.   

What Are The Real Benefits for Landlords:

✅ 1. Save money by not wasting energy – No more heating an empty house all day.

✅ 2. Prevent tenant thermostat tampering – Keeps usage within reasonable limits.

✅ 3. Monitor multiple properties in one place – Saves time managing your rentals. 

 

What Features Should Landlords Look For? 

1️⃣ Remote Access Control

Being able to adjust the heating from anywhere in the world is a must, so you can change the settings remotely through an app without having to go to the property.

2️⃣ Set Heating Schedules

The ability to set customised daily heating schedules means homes are warm when tenants need them, but not over heating when they don’t.

3️⃣ Controls with Limits

Whilst still allowing tenants some control over their heating, you can set schedules within a predefined temperature, to avoid them over using the heating.

4️⃣ Tamper-Proof Settings,

A smart thermostat with a lock feature ensures tenants can’t over ride schedules or crank up the heat 24/7.

5️⃣ Energy Monitoring & Reports

These graphs give you insights into heating patterns, so you can make informed decisions to optimize energy efficiency.

6️⃣ A Boost Function for Extra Warmth

Setting a boost function, lets tenants temporarily raise the temperature, for example for one hour (if required), which means the heating will turn off after this time. 

7️⃣ Multi-Zone Control

For larger properties, you can have separate heating settings for different areas so you can prevent wasted energy.

8️⃣ Compatibility with Boilers

Smart thermostats should work with your boiler system, whether it’s a combi boiler, electric heating, or separate water heater.

9️⃣ Humidity sensors

This newer feature senses humidity levels in the property, with a notification if levels get high. This can help with managing mould caused by humidity so landlords can address this with tenants who may be drying their washing inside. 

Which Smart Thermostat is Best for Landlords in the UK?

Based on these features here is a comparison chart of three of the top smart thermostats for HMO and Airbnb landlords in the UK. The Inspire Home Automation thermostat, the TIME:O:Stat One and the miMonitor

Feature	Inspire Home Automation	Time:O:Stat	miMonitor
Remote Access	✅	✅	✅
Set Daily Schedule	✅	✅	✅
Tenant Control with Limits	✅	✅	✅
Tamper-Proof Settings	✅	✅	✅
Energy Monitoring Graphs	✅	✅	❌
Boost Function	✅	✅	✅
Multi-Zone Control	✅	✅	❌
Combi Boiler Compatible	✅	✅	✅
Humidity Sensing Price (*2025)	✅ From £229.99*	✅ From £179.99*	❌ £99.00*

Which One Should You Choose?

This depends entirely what your requirements are for each individual property. You can do extra research from each provider and pick the one closest to your requirements. 

❇️ Inspire Home Automation – This is packed with features for HMOs and Airbnb rentals.

❇️ TIME:O:STAT One – A great device for HMOs and Airbnb rentals with the additional feature of energy efficiency scores for your individual properties.

❇️ miMonitor – An affordable thermostat, simple and effective for HMOs and Airbnb rentals.

Here is a helpful savings calculator to see how much you could save with one of these smart thermostats.

Frequently Asked Questions❓

⬇️ How do smart thermostats work?

Smart thermostats connect to the Wi-Fi, allowing landlords and tenants to control their heating via either an app, voice assistant, or website.

⬇️ How do smart thermostats save energy?

They reduce unnecessary heating by allowing you to remotely set automatic heating schedules. Plus by tracking previous usage with graphs, you can adjust the automatic schedules so the heating is only on when needed. 

⬇️ Where should I install a smart thermostat?

To ensure a more consistent temperature, you'll need to install it in a central hallway, away from any windows and heat sources. 

⬇️ Will a smart thermostat work without Wi-Fi?

The heating controls will still work, however remote access and monitoring features do require an internet connection. 

⬇️ Will the house get cold at night?

No, because you can set a comfortable night time minimum temperature; so if the temperature goes below your setting, it will bring the heating on so the temperature goes back up to the minimum temperature that you set.

⬇️ Which smart thermostat can be locked?

All three in this comparison have tamper-proof settings so they can be locked.

⬇️ Can I be alerted to unusual usage?

Yes, all three have customisable alerts to allow you to know if the boost button has been activated or the device has disconnected for example.  

⬇️ Which smart thermostat can control multiple zones?

Some of the Inspire Home Automation models and TIME:O:STAT models offer multi-zoned heating control.

⬇️ Does a smart thermostat require a subscription?

No, most smart thermostats including the ones listed, do not require a monthly subscription.

⬇️ Who can install a smart thermostat?

A registered electrician should install a smart thermostat, the installation will typically take less than an hour.

⬇️ Which smart thermostat works with a combi boiler?

All of the three models listed are compatible with combi boilers.

⬇️ What happens if I have to change the router?

Then you will need to reconfigure the new router to the Smart Thermostat. 

In conclusion

If you don't already have a smart thermostat for your rental property then the companies in this comparison have all been very helpful with any information. Their products are always being updated so simply contact them with your requirements to see which is best for your properties so that you can maximise your income. 

From My Experience... 

If you've read this far you're clearly interested in this information, so if it helps you, here's how the Inspire Home Automation system has helped me in my shared houses for years, it’s been a game-changer. 

✅ I can simply log on to my account

check temperatures, see when the boiler is running, and adjust the schedule remotely if necessary. Especially useful if we get snow and tenants are stuck at home. 

✅ One of my favourite features is

the historical energy graphs, these help me see exactly when the heating is coming on so I can tweak settings accordingly for even more efficiency. Some of my houses run warmer than others, like this ones graph above shows, so I can adjust the maximum and minimum temperatures accordingly by comparing the average night time temperature in the summer to know what to set it for in the winter so the house is still comfortable.

✅ Plus I get alerts

via email if the boost button is activated so, for example, if a tenant keeps pressing the boost button, I know they’re feeling cold at a certain time, so I can adjust the schedule or suggest an individual room heater instead of heating the whole house unnecessarily. 

PS -  I stay proactive by switching energy providers or fixing as required. I'm currently with two different providers as they currently give the best value for the usage. If you're considering switching then here's my friends and family link for Octopus Energy and E.on Next as you'll be able to grab an extra £50 if you choose either of them through these links. ☺️

Hope that helps! 🫶 Paula.

PPS - To make sure you are accounting for all your outgoings so you know your exact monthly profit, grab my free 'Room Rental Budget Planner' in the pop up, it's one of the BONUS tool's from the Spare Room Savvy Toolkit Bundle so grab it whilst it's free!

PPPS - If you'd like more landlords tips on how to keep your rooms full, then head over to our blog post "The True Cost Of Empty Rooms & How You Can Avoid Them."

Looking For More Landlord-Friendly Tools?

If you want even more resources that help you to help turn empty rooms into income and streamline your property management, check out The Spare Room Savvy Toolkit below. It’s packed with strategies and tools so that landlords who rent by the room can maximize their profits, minimize hassle, and keep their properties running efficiently. Click here to find out more

 

Thanks for reading this post on Smart Thermostats, hopefully now you have this information, choosing the right thermostat will save you money, reduce energy waste, and keep your tenants happy. Which thermostat have you found most useful? We'd love your feedback, drop a comment below!