A good smart thermostat can genuinely improve how your heat pump performs. A bad one — or the wrong one — can leave your system running inefficiently and your bills higher than they should be. Here’s a practical guide to the best options available in the UK in 2026, and what to look for when choosing.
Gas boilers respond well to on/off control: you call for heat, the boiler fires up, the radiators get hot, and the thermostat cuts it off. Heat pumps work differently. They perform best running continuously at lower flow temperatures, modulating output rather than switching on and off. A thermostat that forces frequent cycling will reduce your heat pump’s SCOP (Seasonal Coefficient of Performance) and increase wear on the compressor.
The ideal thermostat for a heat pump supports weather compensation — adjusting the flow temperature based on outdoor temperature — and ideally communicates with the heat pump controller directly rather than just switching a relay.
The Nest Learning Thermostat remains popular and works with most heat pumps via a standard OpenTherm or relay connection. It learns your schedule, supports weather compensation on compatible systems, and has a clean, well-designed app. The 4th generation model (released 2024) added improved heat pump compatibility and better modulation support.
Best for: Households already in the Google/Nest ecosystem, or those who want a polished consumer experience.
Watch out for: Full weather compensation requires OpenTherm — check your heat pump supports it before buying.
Hive is widely available (British Gas customers often already have it) and has improved its heat pump compatibility significantly. The Hive app is straightforward and the hub-based system is reliable. However, Hive uses a simple relay connection rather than OpenTherm, so it doesn’t support direct flow temperature modulation — it just switches the heat pump on and off.
Best for: Straightforward schedules and remote control; households upgrading from a gas system where Hive is already installed.
Watch out for: Not ideal for maximising heat pump efficiency due to lack of modulation support.
tado° has strong heat pump credentials. It supports OpenTherm, weather compensation, and geofencing (the house starts warming up as you head home). It also has a useful Energy IQ feature that shows your heating consumption over time. The subscription model (£3.99/month for Auto-Assist) is a mild annoyance, but the core product is free to use.
Best for: Heat pump owners who want active weather compensation and good data visibility.
Watch out for: Some users find the auto-assist subscription essential; factor in the ongoing cost.
The Honeywell T6R is a no-frills wireless smart thermostat at a much lower price point (around £80–100). It supports weekly programming, has a simple app, and works reliably. It doesn’t support OpenTherm or weather compensation — it’s a straightforward on/off controller.
Best for: Budget-conscious installations where basic scheduling is enough.
Watch out for: Won’t help improve heat pump efficiency beyond basic scheduling.
Many heat pump manufacturers provide their own smart thermostats and zone controllers — and for efficiency, these are often the best option. Vaillant’s VRC 720 with the sensoAPP, Daikin’s Madoka, and Mitsubishi’s MELCloud all communicate natively with their respective heat pumps and offer full modulation and weather compensation support without needing a third-party bridge.
If you’re having a new heat pump installed, ask your MCS installer whether the manufacturer controller is included or available as an upgrade. It’s often worth it.
For a side-by-side comparison of these and other models with detailed specs, see our full smart thermostat comparison over at SmartHomeWise.
Switching from a simple on/off thermostat to a weather-compensating controller with OpenTherm can improve SCOP by 0.3–0.5 in real-world conditions — that’s roughly a 10–15% reduction in electricity consumption. On a £800/year heat pump bill, that’s £80–120 saved annually, which pays back a £150 thermostat in under two years.
For more detail on heat pump efficiency and running costs, see our guide to heat pump running costs in the UK.
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