A Danfoss LinkTM smart heating solution is helping a visually-impaired Aberdeenshire Council tenant in Tarves take control of her home heating using a voice-activated Alexa system. Finding it difficult to use conventional controls because of reduced central vision, Suzanne Cattanach says the Danfoss LinkTM system, which is connected to her Wi-Fi home network, has made a real difference to her life.
The installation by specialist Scottish contractor, Everwarm (part of the Sureserve Group), features a Danfoss LinkTM CC central controller for wireless, programmable control of nine Danfoss living connect® sensors fitted on existing Danfoss RAS-C2 thermostatic radiator valves. The smart home skill to connect the central controller with Suzanne’s Alexa system was activated using a pairing code provided via the Danfoss LinkTM app. This additional facility means she can use Alexa-enabled commands to control the temperature around her home for optimum convenience, comfort and energy efficiency.
Aberdeenshire Council specified Danfoss LinkTM for Suzanne’s three-bedroom semi-detached house as part a new radiator-based heating system with a high efficiency oil-fired boiler. The new system replaced the property’s electric panel heaters, which had controls that Suzanne was finding increasingly difficult to programme given her restricted vision. Having used Danfoss heating products in its housing stock for many years, Aberdeenshire Council turned to Danfoss for advice on a smart heating control to meet Suzanne’s needs, “Although off-the-shelf solutions from other suppliers are available, we were unsure about the after-sales support. Danfoss provides the product reliability and support that we and our tenants rely on.”
Kevin Weir, Key Account Manager for Danfoss in North and East Scotland, recommended a Danfoss LinkTM CC as the ideal solution. Although Everwarm regularly fits Danfoss heating products on behalf of Aberdeenshire Council and other clients, Suzanne’s was the contractor’s first Danfoss LinkTM installation. According to Darren Malpas, Contracts Manager at Everwarm, the support from Danfoss was “magic”. He comments: “Like all Danfoss products it was actually very easy to wire the central control unit and boiler relay into the system, but as this was our first time it was great to have Kevin on site to guide our team through the LinkTM set-up and ensure the different system elements were all talking to each other.”
As an existing Alexa user, Suzanne is delighted that she can now control her heating using voice-activated commands via the Danfoss LinkTM CC. “The whole installation was very well managed,” she says. “Danfoss LinkTM is an amazing product and I’m grateful to Kevin for taking the time to show me how to use it. Now if I want to adjust the temperature in, say, bedroom 2, I simply use the Alexa-enabled command and it’s done!”
Committed to helping its tenants keep their homes comfortably and affordably warm, and given the success of this first installation, Aberdeenshire Council will consider the use of Danfoss LinkTM in the future for other visually impaired tenants.
From a single point, Danfoss LinkTM regulates heating throughout the house using the latest wireless technology. The central controller features a simple user interface and colour touchscreen for programming personalised heating schedules that optimise comfort and energy efficiency. Individual room temperatures can be set or rooms can be grouped together to create different heating zones. In addition to the benefits for end-users, Danfoss has made installation both quick and easy with online information guides and videos. For more information visit www.danfoss.com