We may be heading into summer but with Irish weather you can’t guarantee that will include warm temperatures. And even if we do get a week or two of more temperate weather the autumn and winter will be closing in fast.
With that in mind the Aeno Smart Heater might be a product to consider. The heater uses a mixture of infrared and convection heating to blast heat into your room, all the while looking like a sleek design feature rather than a heater – more wall art and less old-school metal radiator.
What exactly is an infrared heater, though? The technology heats objects rather than blowing warm air around your room, and is therefore considered more efficient than traditional heaters. Think more like the sun than a traditional heater; it emits infrared light that makes objects radiate heat that is, in turn, delivered back into the room. You aren’t breathing in warm air, and the technology is considered less drying than a standard fan heater, for example.
It is electric so you are at the mercy of varying electricity prices but the smart features built into the display panel means you won’t be using the heater unnecessarily.
The panel itself comes in two colours – black and white – and with the glass covering it looks more like a wall feature than a functional product. That is great if you want to wall mount the heaters because they can blend in with the decor.
On the side you have a small hidden panel with buttons to turn the heater on and off, increase or lower the temperature and switch it to smart mode, which you can link in with the Aeno app on your phone.
Once you have connected your phone, the app and your home wifi, the heater becomes a smarter device, controlled remotely when you are away from home. Think of it as an end to the question: “did I switch off the heater?” and those shock bills that result when the answer is no.
The Aeno Smart Heater now also comes with a small display that shows the current temperature in the room, eliminating the need to constantly keep an eye on the app on your phone. It is hidden away though at the side of the heater so if you have it wall mounted it will require a bit of manoeuvring to see.
That’s not to say you won’t want to use the app. It has a lot of features that will help you keep an eye on your energy costs. For example, you can track how much energy the heater is using so you don’t get any nasty surprises. You can also adjust the temperature of the heater and, crucially, the temperature of the glass panel so you can protect children, pets and even yourself from accidentally touching a too-hot panel.
There are also timers and schedules so you can have your heating turn on and off when you need it. And the power cord includes a thermostat so you can set your desired temperature for the room and the heater will shut off once it reaches it.
I accidentally left it turned on for the entire day and when I checked our energy monitoring software it had only used an additional 2KW of power – about 70 cent. That was significantly better than a similar situation I had with a standard convection heater.
There are other safety features built in too. There is an auto shut-off, for example, if the heater is knocked over.
If you are on the hunt to expand your smarthome this heater can be linked with assistants such as Alexa and Google.
Good
Sleek and easy to use, the Aeno Smart Heater blends the right amount of style with usability. You can tuck it away when it’s not needed or put it on your wall to replace traditional radiators if you are moving away from older style central heating.
It feels fairly efficient when it comes to heating a room, and with the built-in thermostat you can set it and forget it, with the heater only turning on when the temperature drops below a certain level.
Bad
The panel can get quite hot, which could be an issue if you have pets or small children. You can dial down the top temperature of the panel, but that will also mean leaving it on longer to get your room to the desired temperature.
If your room has high ceilings or is bigger than the average Irish livingroom you might need more than one of these heaters, and that will get expensive. This is not a cheap heater, at just short of €300, although you will offset some of that cost through lighter electricity bills.
Everything else
You can put this heater on the wall or leave it free standing, or if you really want to keep them out of the way they can be ceiling mounted. That is one for the professionals, though, as they aren’t the lightest, and no one needs a glass panel crashing down from above without warning.
The verdict
The display is a small addition that makes the heater a little more usable than its predecessor. If you want something out of the ordinary the Aeno Smart Heater will complement your livingroom rather than take over.
Four stars
