IFA 2016: Intelligent Heating

French connected-home company Netatmo's Smart Radiator Valves promise to help users regulate their heating on a room-by-room basis, reducing energy consumption and utility bills.

Unveiled at this year’s IFA consumer electronics trade show in Berlin and available at the end of 2016, the Smart Radiator Valves are set to retail at around $78 and can be fitted to individual or collective heating systems. Smart features include open-window detection and a regulation capability that claims to “precisely analyse external elements in real time – the weather, insulation of the house, the number of people in the room, electrical appliances being used – and adjust the heating of the room to save as much energy as possible”.

Users can also add a Manual Boost and increase the temperature of any room at any time, either by manually adjusting the valve or using the Netatmo app, accessible on smartphone, tablet, desktop, or by voice command via Apple’s Siri. Thanks to the devices’ reactive capabilities, Netatmo claims the intelligent heating solution could reduce energy usage by up to 37%.

For more on new products, formats and upgrades for the home, as well as key innovations in colour, material and finish, look out for our report from IFA Berlin 2016, publishing soon.