Heating goes geeky

I am a sucker for new apps and my inner geek does a backflip when a new gadget comes out.

The folks at British Gas asked me to try out their brand spanking new Remote Heating Control system and one week in I have to say we love it.

The system uses a wifi hub which links with your thermostat and app on your smart phone to be able to control your heating from anywhere, in or outside the home.

Miles and I were away last weekend so on the road trip back from Newcastle I could make sure the house would be snuggly and warm in time for our arrival back at the ranch. I also tend to crank things up a notch or two if I am sitting at my desk and feel a bit chilly (lazy? nooooo....), or even from bed, but don't tell anyone.

Installation was really simple - an engineer swapped our existing thermostat for the new gadgetry and while he did that I installed the app on my iPhone and went through the set up wizard online to establish our daily heating settings.

I will be blogging more about the system as we use it, so watch this space.

I think it's a good idea for anyone wanting to reduce their heating bill  - you can make sure the heating is only on when you need it, and if you left it on when you are out it's easily sortable with a swipe on your 'phone. You can also set the hub to email or text you when the temperature in the house goes over a certain level, so if you are watching pennies during winter you can make sure you only use what you need.

Have you tried the Remote Heating Control yet?Let me know how you use it if you do.