Evolution Of Smart Thermostats

Smart thermostats have become a vital gadget in modern-day households. Providing you with full control of your heating and the ability to learn your heating pattern, they provide many benefits to homeowners. Before these devices became mainstream, if you arrived at work and remembered you forgot to adjust the heating, there was nothing you could do without returning home to manually change the dial thermostat.

However, the thermostat isn’t a new idea, it’s been around for over 400 years and in this blog, we’ll look at the evolution of the smart thermostat and where the idea originated.

Early Home Heating

The earliest record of home heating is dated back to the Romans who realised that their marble bathhouses and buildings could retain heat well. They were so effective when heated from below that this was when underfloor heating was first utilised!

The First Thermostat

The very first device that resembled a thermostat was created in 1620 by a Dutch inventor called Cornelis Drebbel. This invention was created to regulate the temperature inside a chicken incubator, raising the lid of the roof to allow the hot air to escape and cooler air to enter. This way, they could incubate eggs all year round.

Bi-Metallic Thermostat

In 1830 the bi-metallic thermostat was invented for use in textile mills by a Scottish Chemist called Andrew Ure. This type of thermostat worked through heating two different metals, in which one of them had a lower melting point than the other. As a result, when the heat increased the metal with the lower melting point would expand and cut off the energy to the machine, allowing it to cool down.

The First Electrical Thermostats

Just over 50 years later, in 1886, the first electrical thermostat was created by a Swiss inventor and founder of ‘Butz Thermoelectric Regulator Company’, Albert Butz. This system, also called the ‘Damper Flapper’ worked by automatically regulating the air intake of furnaces to control the temperature.

Only 20 years later in 1906, Mark Honeywell purchased this patented idea and created the company, Honeywell. He went on to develop the first programmable thermostat which also incorporated a clock for pre-setting the temperature for the following morning. Dial thermostats first made an appearance in 1950 and are still a common application found in households today. 

Digital Thermostats

During the 1980s, the first thermostat with a digital display was created with functions such as programable times and days of the week. Throughout the 1990s thermostats continued to develop and the 2000s saw the arrival of a new generation, the smart thermostat.

Smart Thermostats from Wiser

Smart thermostats like Wiser let you take control like never before, with the ability to control your home heating from anywhere in the world via your smartphone and our smart heating app. Smart thermostats learn and adapt to suit you and your lifestyle, providing better energy savings and convenience than ever.

If you’re looking to upgrade your current home heating system, Wiser provides flexible systems including multizone heating kits that suit practically any household. For more information on our products, you can browse our website for more information on how Wiser works, or contact us by completing our contact form or phoning 0333 6000 622 if you have questions about Wiser.