Author: April (Genius Hub)

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New and Improved Doctor

Genius Hub App: New & Improved Doctor

Our new and improved Doctor is designed to empower you with the tools and information needed to diagnose and resolve issues quickly and efficiently. Whether you’re facing technical challenges or looking for solutions, you’ll find detailed guides, troubleshooting steps, and innovative tools at your fingertips.

Key features include:

  • Issue Diagnosis: Step-by-step troubleshooting to help identify and pinpoint problems.
  • Actionable Solutions: Practical fixes tailored to common and complex issues.
  • New Tools: Access to advanced utilities designed to check problems and improve the performance of your system.

Explore the Doctor and take control of your troubleshooting journey today!

Troubleshooter
Straight to Solution

Now troubleshooting a specific device is straightforward. Simply select your device, and we’ll guide you through a series of diagnostic steps to identify the issue. Once diagnosed, you’ll receive tailored solutions to fix the problem. Additionally, you’ll have access to new tools designed to optimize performance, enhance device functionality, and ensure a smoother troubleshooting experience from start to finish.

New Options Added:

  • Exclude: Removing an unwanted device
  • Relearn: Reset the values of the device
  • Remove Dead Node: Remove old nodes that have been replaced
  • Factory Reset: Restoring the devices to their factory setting

The Doctor also serves as a centralized hub where all your documentation, manuals and videos are stored in one convenient location. Whether you need product guides, user manuals, or technical documents, everything is easily accessible in one place. This all-in-one resource ensures you can quickly find the information you need and make troubleshooting or setup a breeze.

Future Improvements:

As we add more solutions, you may notice more flagged issues. This increase is intentional, reflecting our commitment to providing comprehensive support and addressing a wider range of potential problems. By expanding our solutions, we can offer more precise fixes, ensuring issues are captured and resolved, and enhancing your overall troubleshooting experience.

Genius Hub Doctor
More Genius Hub Additions

Signal Strength Test (Z-Wave):

All mains powered devices act as signal repeaters, the battery powered devices communicate through these to reach the Genius Hub. When one device can see another device it is called a neighbour and it can be either other mains powered devices, or battery powered devices. Each mains powered device can be queried for a list of the other Z-Wave devices it can see in direct range. The Devices Page can now display the neighbouring listening devices.

For More Information: Click Here

Signal Strength Test (Zigbee):

The Wireless Radiator Valve (DA-WRV-E) can be queried for their signal strength between them and the nearest signal repeater. It is also possible to query the signal strength to the Smart Plug (Dual Band) (see here for the differences between Smart Plugs).

For More Information: Click Here

Bypass Valve Learning

Also on the Devices Page, you can now see a new option called Bypass Valve Learning. This setting instructs the Wireless Radiator Valve (DA-WRV-E) to treat changes from the app as if they were manual overrides. This should increase valve responsiveness, especially when a change to the set temperature is first made. It may cause the control to be less accurate and may reduce battery life. These are being checked as part of this testing.

For More Information: Click Here

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The Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club

©Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club

The Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club

CASE STUDY

The Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club is one of the largest Sailing Clubs in Northern Ireland with around 1,000 members. Gaia Smart Energy recently worked with the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club to review and optimise their energy set-up, resulting in savings of 45% on heating costs using Genius Hub.

The installation process was Straight forward and left a lasting impression on the Royal Yacht Club team

"It is easy to use, and you can plan for a week in advance for heating rooms that are only used occasionally." "We only have heating where and when we need it so there is less wastage and it is friendlier to the environment."

How did you control your heating before?​

“Our heating system before didn’t allow for much control– it was separated into 3 zones to heat different areas of the Clubhouse, but this was ineffective and led to areas being heated that weren’t being used on a daily basis. The control system was in the bar and could be accessed by everyone, and this didn’t allow it to be managed effectively. Redesigning and installing a new heating system, which had been installed in 1985, would have involved enormous expense in re-piping and zoning. Since the radiators were all approaching 40 years old, replacing them would have been an enormous job, never mind the building work involved.”

What do you like about the system

“It is easy to use and you can plan a week in advance for heating various rooms that are only used occasionally. It is more efficient and means we only have heating where and when we need it, so there is less wastage and it is friendlier to the environment.”

View Gaia Smart Energy To Read More
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Cornerstone Veterinary Clinic

©Cornerstone Veterinary Clinic

Cornerstone Veterinary Clinic

CASE STUDY

After being impressed with the Genius Hub system we fitted in his home, Peter Herold decided to also have it installed in his busy veterinary surgery, Cornerstone Vets, soon afterwards. The veterinary surgery demonstrates the full breadth of what the Genius Hub system is capable of.

How did you control your heating before?

“Before the Genius Hub was installed, I controlled the temperature just by manually opening and closing each of the valves on the radiators in each room. Sometimes I would forget and leave a room on, wasting energy. I also have lots of staff who are too busy to remember to turn off the heating when it is not needed. Redesigning and installing a new heating system, which had been installed in 1985, would have involved enormous expense in re-piping and zoning.”

How user-friendly do you and your staff find the system?

“I find the system very user friendly. If I’m not at the practice, my staff can control each individual room but the system can never run beyond closing time due to the way it’s set up, so I don’t need to worry about it being left on all weekend.”

What do you like about the system

“When Genius Hub was fitted to my home, I knew very quickly that it would be ideal for my Veterinary practice. When the Gaia engineer came out to survey the building I was surprised to find that I could control all of the electric heating, air conditioning and ventilation fans etc. as well as the radiators.”

View Gaia Smart Energy To Read More
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Guidance on Accessing Support

Guidance on Accessing Support

We hope you’ve had a great Winter and are looking forward to the Spring! Before you switch off, we want to make sure you’re up-to-date with our current Support Packages.

Support Ticket

A member of the technical team will reply to your support ticket with the solution so you don’t have to look for it; and help to diagnose your system if it is not working the way you expect.

Support One - 2 - One

Schedule a One 2 One at a convenient date & time, and your Genius Hub engineer will remotely guide you through what you want help with, in a personalised course just for you.

Since we cancelled all monthly Support Subscriptions in September 2023 and moved over to a ticketing portal, we want to ensure all customers are aware of the following:

  • The ‘Contact Us’ forms on our website are sent to our Sales Team who are not able to triage or answer queries such as ‘Genius Hub won’t connect to the internet’ or ‘radiator won’t turn off’. 
  • Callbacks are only available if a Support One-2-One is purchased, however, If there is a scenario where we would need to call you, we will contact you.
  • Bug Reports are sent into a database for our development team only. As such, we are unable to triage or respond to queries sent in this manner.  
  • Forum: When requesting support on the forum, please keep in mind that it is not the first point of contact and it may take longer than expected for a reply. Please refrain from direct messaging Admins: If the issue is urgent, please purchase a ticket and we will refund it if the issue falls in our court.
  • Call your heating engineer/electrician/plumber. You can also find a Genius Hub certified installer, found on our Installer Map.
  • Using our free Knowledge Base, YouTube, and FAQs. Our Knowledge base is curated, updated and checked regularly by our team. All the support we provide you with via email or phone is on this site and, very often, it is what our Support Team uses to assist you. 
  • Use our Forum where customers like yourselves have solutions and interesting ways to use the system.
  • Log into your user account at: geniushub.co.uk/my-account*
  • Near the bottom of the bar on the left-hand side, select ‘My Tickets’. This is the Ticket Portal.
  • Click on your Ticket.
  • Fill in your issue within the text box and click ‘Submit’.
  • Your message has now been sent to the support team who will investigate the issue and respond in due course.
(**Please Note:  Your username and password are the account you used to purchase your system/additional devices NOT Hub Credentials (the details you use to log in to your system). Your username and password are the account you used to purchase your system/additional devices.**)
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Sodington Hall

VIEW PDF

SCOTT RICHARDSON-BROWN

CASE STUDY

Large rural houses take a lot of energy to heat, and when it’s a historic building, the options for improving energy efficiency are limited. We took a look at how Genius Hub is helping reduce energy consumption in a large period country house.

Sitting atop a hill in Mamble, Worcestershire and overlooking 16 acres of landscaped gardens and grounds, Sodington Hall is an impressive Georgian-style country house. It was constructed in the early 19th century, but remains of a Roman settlement dating back to around AD 418 have been found on the same site.

Despite James Lees-Milne referring to the property as a “red brick dolls house” in the Shell Worcestershire Guide, it certainly isn’t miniature! The building houses over 30 rooms spread over three floors, and there is a separate annex and outdoor pool.

Like many large historical buildings, heating can be a challenge. We interviewed the property’s owner, Scott Richardson-Brown, to understand how Genius Hub helps him keep heating costs under control.

Why install Genius Hub smart heating controls?

“I was searching around for smart heating controls at a time when they were in their infancy. I was very keen to ensure that I had something that was at the cutting edge and would move with the times.

My main considerations when comparing the options for smart heating controls were price and functionality. We have a large property with over 30 rooms, so the ability to control each room was very important.

Genius Hub appeared to be significantly more advanced than the competition and the customer service was very good.”

As Genius Hub allows each room to be controlled individually, savings in this type of situation can be considerable, as only a few of the rooms are in use at any given time. For example, many rooms only need to be heated when guests are staying.

Scott is often away on business. Genius Hub allows him to easily turn the heating off when he leaves, safe in the knowledge that every room is still protected from frost. During his return journey, the Genius Hub mobile app allows him to turn the heating back on in advance, so the house is warm by the time he gets back.

How do you use Genius Hub?

“I have certain rooms on all the time and then use the app to control other rooms as and when we have guests, or when I know I’ll occupy them. The app is very easy to use.”

Even rooms that are used regularly benefit from being on a schedule, so that bedrooms are only heated at night, while the rest of the house is only heated during the day.

What system was installed?

Scott asked us to design and install a full system to meet his needs. A full decade ago (yes, way back in 2014!), we installed our original Genius Hub, but we have recently upgraded his whole system to our latest “v2” hardware.

The building has classic cast iron radiators on a one pipe system, ​​where circulation through the radiator relies on gravity. That’s no problem for Genius Hub; the radiators were simply fitted with Danfoss RAG valves, making them compatible with our latest wireless valve heads.

As well as the radiators, the Genius Hub also controls multiple underfloor heating loops, hot water, as well as the main biomass boiler. It also controls several electric loads including an immersion heater and an AGA range cooker.

Pool heating is handled by an additional Hub unit linked via an Ethernet cable, as the pool is a significant distance from the house, but it can still be seamlessly controlled from within the same app.

What has been your experience with Genius Hub overall?

“It’s been excellent. The installation was seamless, and it’s very easy to use.

My only concern when I first had the system installed was that the company was only a few years old. That’s not a concern now that Genius Hub is much more established, that I know the system is reliable and that their customer service is very good.

For me, the system works exactly as I’d hoped and I can’t really think of anything that could be improved. I’d definitely recommend it.”

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Green Resolutions for 2024

Green Resolutions for 2024

A recent study has shown 49% of people have pledged to save money for their New Years Resolutions…As we leap into the New Year, it’s a great time to reflect on the winter months and consider changes we can make to have a greener (and cheaper) 2024.

The UK is on an ambitious mission to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. To meet this ambitious target, the country must take a multidisciplinary approach, with energy efficiency at the forefront. Heating is one of the largest sources of carbon emissions, accounting for about one-third of the UK’s carbon footprint. Therefore, transitioning to cleaner and more sustainable heating systems is crucial for the UK’s net-zero goal.

Coincidentally, a recent survey conducted by YouGov noted that 49% of resolutions for the new year are pledges to save more money.  Considering that roughly 6% of individual monthly salaries are taken up by energy bills, therein lies a balance to save money whilst also improving individual energy efficiency.

Smart heating companies like Genius Hub are among the pioneers of environmental sustainability, and we have some tips for you to make 2024 your most (energy) efficient yet:

Green home improvement tips that are free:

Turn your room thermostat down by 1°C

Approximately every 1º you drop the temperature you save 7%. Our customers need only turn down unoccupied rooms by about 4-5º to save upwards of 30% on their energy bill.

Turn your hot water cylinder thermostat down

Every hot water cylinder has its own built-in thermostat which should ideally be set to 60°C. If you have a hot water tank and it's over this level, by reducing it to 60°C your boiler won't have to fire for as long to get your water up to temperature; if it's firing less, it's using less fuel.

Close your curtains

During the day, the sun helps warm rooms, however, when the sun goes down, so does the temperature. Closing your curtains in the evening will help keep the heat inside and reduce any draughts from your windows.

Close internal doors

If you already have individual room control using our Radiator Valves or Underfloor Heating Controls, you will undoubtedly be saving money by not heating unoccupied rooms. By closing internal doors, you will save more money as you will keep the heat in the rooms you're occupying and avoid heating unoccupied spaces.

Turn off lights

Why pay for electricity to light an unoccupied room? Turn the lights out when you leave a room. You could use Genius Smart Plugs for lamps, and Electric Switches for drive lights to improve automation and energy efficiency.

Move to a different energy supplier

By shopping around you could save significantly your bills - you could even switch to a greener supplier! Which? have collated a list of recommended suppliers, and you compare your energy usage with the national average with Switch-Plan.

More Ways To Save Money and Energy:

Insulation

A surprising amount of heat is wasted through your roof, walls, and floors every year if you don’t have adequate insulation. Your priority should be to insulate your roof first, then your walls, and finally your floor. Insulating cavity walls can cost around £500 and save you £105 per year.

Draught Proofing

As above, your house is less efficient due to drafts around doors and windows. Cheap and simple adjustments such as draught excluders or resealing windows could save you roughly £25 a year!

Fix dripping taps

Whilst not strictly energy, it is worth mentioning that dripping taps could fill around two baths with wasted water over the course of a year. By fixing dripping taps, you’re helping the environment, and your wallet!

Upgrading Your Boiler

New condensing boilers could be up to 95% efficient, and heat pumps are increasing in popularity year on year! Although upfront costs can be quite alarming, there are government-backed upgrade schemes available, provided you have completed EPC recommendations.

Smart Heating

No surprises here! By changing traditional heating to smart thermostats and zoning with smart TRVs, you could save upwards of 30% each year! You can also save money with Genius Occupancy Detection: Click Here to Find Out More

As you can see, there are many ways to save money on your energy bill which also help the environment, and don’t cost much (if at all!).
If you decide to give any of these ideas a go, let us know at enquiry@geniushub.co.uk or on our Forum.

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Changes to Support

Technical Phone Assistance
Technical Email Assistance

Changes to Support Services

We’ve had significant feedback over the last 12 months about our Support Packages, and we’re pleased to bring to you our new Support system. Going forward, we will no longer be billing you monthly for your support subscriptions – both email and phone.

Instead, we will have 2 support options:

Support Tickets: Taking inspiration from similar chat-based models used by many other technology companies, we now have a new portal on our website where you can log issues such as a device missing a temperature, hub access issues, or device communication queries. Our Support Team will be able to communicate with you via this portal until your issue is resolved.

Support One-2-One: An inclusive service which gives you an hour with one of our team, who will run through your entire system with you. Whether you are servicing your system in preparation for the coming winter, or there are multiple zones/rooms you need help with, this service is designed to get your system back to optimum efficiency.

There are also other options for Support, such as:

  • Calling a certified installer, found on our Installer Map.
  • Use our extensive free Knowledge Base and FAQs. Our Knowledge base is curated, updated and checked regularly by our team. All the support we provide you with via email or phone is on this site and, very often, it is what our Support Team use to assist you.
  • Using our Forum where customers like yourselves have solutions and interesting ways to use the system.

We want you to feel empowered to get the most out of your system and not to have to wait in queues overrun by customers bypassing support by incorrectly submitting a Bug Report via the app or calling our Sales Line, which is why we have made the decision to take our Support Team completely away from the previously monitored support@geniushub.co.uk email address, and use the services mentioned above exclusively – this means that customers can no longer call or email, taking time away from the services you pay for.

*Please note, if you are currently receiving support for an issue from support@geniushub.co.uk, we will continue to support you via email until your issue is resolved. If your support subscription has recently been renewed, we will continue to support you until your license runs out.*

For those customers currently paying for a support subscription, we will separately send out an email containing a free support ticket before the end of this week.

We are confident this service will greatly improve the support you receive and with the dedication you deserve.

Kind regards,
~ Genius Hub Team

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How do Thermal Environments affect our body clock

fields-morning
fields-morning

How do Thermal Environments affect our body clock?

The circadian rhythm serves an important purpose in preparing the body for changes in the environment, such as anticipating times for physical activity, sleep and meals. The strongest external queue is the light/dark cycle, however, other external factors such as temperature can have significant effects on our internal body clock.

Heat has a significant impact on the circadian rhythm of living organisms. Heat affects circadian rhythm by regulating the release of the hormone melatonin, which is responsible for regulating the sleep-wake cycle. Humans have a sleep-wake rhythm that is repeated in a 24-hour cycle. Research has shown that exposure to high temperatures can disrupt the normal functioning of the biological clock and can suppress melatonin release, leading to changes in sleep patterns.

During sleep, the core body temperature drops, signalling to the body that it is time to sleep. Exposure to heat can raise the core body temperature and make it harder to fall/stay asleep. Heat can disturb sleep more than cold, especially in young and elderly people. This is because heat makes people more awake and decreases the time they spend in deep sleep. One reason for this could be that, if sleep is disturbed at the beginning, the body tries to catch up later on. Heat-related sleep problems don’t go away, even after several days of being exposed to heat: Even if people are sleep-deprived, heat still affects the amount of time in deep sleep. Wakefulness is the only stage that can help the body deal with high temperatures and it replaces deep sleep and dreaming to help the body stay at a normal temperature.

Therefore, it is important to keep the temperature in mind when it comes to sleep and wakefulness. For sleeping, the ideal temperature is about 18 degrees Celsius, which helps the body get into the best state for sleeping. It can lower the body’s temperature and make for a deeper, more restful sleep. If it’s too hot or too cold, it can interfere with sleep quality and make it harder to fall or stay asleep.

To keep cool at night

  • Close curtains to limit light and heat
  • Drink cool water to stay hydrated
  • Wear loose and lightweight clothing
  • Use a Genius Smart Plug to schedule a fan to come on if the temperature exceeds 22 degrees, or using IFTTT, when the sun sets.

To keep warm at night

  • Schedule your electric blanket to turn on prior to you going to bed using a Genius Smart Plug
  • Remove materials such as furniture or clothing from blocking your radiator and absorbing the heat
  • Ensure your heating schedules are up-to-date to reflect the time of year
  • Close your curtains as soon as dusk falls to maximise your house’s potential to retain heat

Related - Sense Mode

How to optimize Sense Mode to adapt to your lifestyle with little thought...

On the other hand, when it comes to being awake and alert, the ideal temperature is a bit higher; around 21-22 degrees Celsius. This temperature range is generally comfortable for most people and helps keep cognitive function and alertness during the day. However, if it’s too hot or too cold, it can cause discomfort, fatigue and lower overall productivity.

It is important to note that individual comfort may vary and the optimal temperatures may be different for each person. Experimenting with different temperatures to find what works best for you is recommended.

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ECO+

ECO+

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Turning the Genius Hub off in the Summer

Turning the Genius Hub off in the Summer

As the Summer is heating up, you may not want to use your heating as much. If you are using the Genius Hub for controlling your hot water then you will obviously want to keep your Genius Hub plugged in during the summer, and you can turn off all of the rooms on the app which you do not want to be heated during the summer.

To turn off the rooms you are not using, the easiest way is:

  • Go to the ‘My House’ page by clicking on the house icon at the top left of the app.
  • In the bottom bar, click on ‘Turn Off’
    • This will turn all of the Radiator, Underfloor Heating and Hot Water Temperature zones off.
    • If you want to keep the Hot Water Temperature zone on, just navigate to the zone and change the mode to Timer
  • At the end of the Summer, just click ‘Restore’ from the ‘My House’ page for all of your zones to revert to their state before the Summer with their schedules ready to go.

Adjusting your lamps and lighting for longer days...

If you have a Genius Room Sensor that is not being used in a zone to control heating, you can use it to control the Smart Plugs. The Genius Hub system is primarily a heating control system, so there can be a delay of a number of seconds before the Smart Plug responds (about 2 – 30 seconds generally), this is acceptable for heating but note that this may not be acceptable for lighting.

Step-by-step guide:

  1. Create a new zone on the app which is a ‘On / Off’ type of zone
  2. Go to the Zone Setup and assign the Genius Smart Plug and Genius Room Sensor
  3. Set the ‘Heating Trigger On After’ to 0 minutes
  4. Set the ‘Heating Trigger Off After’ to as long as you want the Smart Plug to stay on for
  5. Leave the setup pages, and change the mode to ‘Sense Mode’ See here how to enable Sense Mode on your Genius Hub
    • Set up the times of the day where you want it to turn ‘ON’ when there is occupancy, the rest of the time it will ignore occupancy
    • Remember to turn on ‘React to Occupancy’ when setting up the times