Best Smart Thermostats for Boilers & Central Heating

Choosing a smart thermostat in the UK isn’t really about finding “the best one” — it’s about finding the right control for your boiler, central-heating system, and home layout.

Some systems focus on room-by-room radiator zoning, others on automatic heating schedules, while manufacturer controls prioritise seamless boiler integration.

This Boilers2go guide compares the biggest options in 2026:

• tado° X smart heating system

• Google Nest Learning Thermostat

• Hive Active Heating

• Worcester EasyControl

• Vaillant vSMART

• Ideal Halo Wi-Fi

We’ll look at pricing, compatibility, features, and which homes they suit best.

Why smart thermostats matter for central heating

Traditional thermostats control the whole heating system from one location. Smart heating controls allow more flexibility, including:

• scheduling heating around daily routines

• controlling hot water remotely

• adjusting heating when nobody is home

• managing radiators individually

• improving boiler modulation where supported

Most households see around 10–20% reductions in heating waste when moving from basic thermostats to smart heating control.

The biggest savings usually come from better scheduling and heating fewer rooms at once, rather than the thermostat itself making the boiler more efficient.

tado° X: Multi-room smart heating control

The tado° X system is designed around zoning your heating room by room, rather than controlling everything from one thermostat.

Starter kits typically sit around £110–£160, while radiator valves are usually £60–£80 each. Because valves can be added gradually, the system can scale from a small flat to a large house.

Key features include:

• OpenTherm modulation support

• smart radiator zoning

• geofencing and scheduling

• Matter and Thread smart-home compatibility

• rechargeable smart radiator valves

This type of system suits larger homes or households wanting precise radiator-level control.

Google Nest Learning Thermostat

The Nest Learning Thermostat focuses on automatic heating adjustment rather than radiator zoning.

Instead of manually programming schedules, Nest learns household routines over time and adjusts heating automatically based on occupancy and weather.

Typical UK pricing sits around £200–£280, depending on the model.

Nest works with many UK boilers, though installations often use relay control rather than full modulation.

This thermostat suits households that want simple smart heating without managing individual rooms.

Hive Active Heating

Hive Active Heating remains one of the most widely installed smart thermostats in the UK.

Starter kits usually cost around £100–£180, with optional smart radiator valves available.

Hive focuses on:

• app-based heating control

• hot-water scheduling

• voice-assistant integration

• simple installation

It’s often chosen for straightforward smart-heating upgrades, particularly in combi-boiler homes.

Worcester Bosch EasyControl

The EasyControl thermostat is designed specifically for Worcester Bosch boilers, particularly Greenstar models.

Pricing usually sits around £170–£300, depending on kits and radiator-valve add-ons.

Because it communicates directly with Worcester boilers, it can use load compensation and modulation features that third-party thermostats sometimes can’t access.

This makes EasyControl a strong option for households already using Worcester Greenstar boilers.

Vaillant vSMART and senso controls

Vaillant’s smart controls are designed to work directly with ecoTEC boilers using eBUS communication.

Starter systems typically cost around £150–£250, depending on configuration.

These controls focus on:

• weather-compensated heating

• app-based scheduling

• direct boiler communication

• multi-sensor temperature control

They’re usually the most straightforward option for homes with Vaillant ecoTEC boilers.

Ideal Halo Wi-Fi thermostat

The Ideal Halo Wi-Fi thermostat provides smart-heating control designed for Ideal boilers.

Halo thermostats typically cost between £100 and £240, depending on configuration.

They include:

• touchscreen interface

• geolocation heating control

• weather compensation

• OpenTherm compatibility on newer Ideal boilers

Halo works especially well with Ideal Logic and Vogue ranges.

Real-world smart thermostat pricing (UK 2026)

Most smart thermostats fall into three rough price tiers:

• Entry smart control: £100–£150

• Mid-range smart thermostats: £150–£220

• Full zoning systems: £250–£600+ depending on radiator valves

The thermostat itself is only part of the cost — zoning and additional sensors are what increase system price.

Choosing the right smart thermostat

The best choice depends mainly on your heating system.

• If you want room-by-room heating control, tado° X is one of the most flexible systems available.
• If you want automatic heating schedules, Nest works well.
• If you want simple smart heating control, Hive is a safe option.
• If you have a Worcester, Vaillant, or Ideal boiler, manufacturer controls often integrate most smoothly.

The most important step is checking boiler compatibility, especially if you want modulation features like OpenTherm or eBUS communication.

The bottom line

Smart thermostats don’t just make heating more convenient — they help central-heating systems use energy more efficiently by improving how heat is controlled across the home.

Whether you choose tado°, Nest, Hive, EasyControl, vSMART, or Halo, the right control helps your boiler, radiators, and hot-water system work together more efficiently.

And that’s where the real savings usually come from.