OpenTherm Awareness!

OpenTherm Awareness.

The OpenTherm Association is planning to introduce the OpenTherm protocol more widely across the UK and has launched its first three-year communication program to raise the awareness of the digital protocol and its benefits to the heating industry. It's about time too.

OpenTherm is a none propriety (manufacturer none dependent) system of digital communication currently utilised predominantly between commercial modulating heating appliances and room thermostats. 

The idea for a single, common standard for communication in the domestic heating sector between heating controls and central heating appliances has been pushed for years by controls manufactures, but this has been a very slow uptake with the major players being unwilling to participate, but with huge thanks to the popularity of the likes of the nest thermostat over the recent years it has now been growing in awareness across Europe, but it has only recently started to make its mark here in the UK.

The OpenTherm Association already has a number of members signed up to work with it to introduce a wider acceptance of OpenTherm as a standard in the UK. 

Boiler Manufacturers including Vokera, Baxi, Remeha, Intergas, Navien, Ideal, Viessman, ATAG, Alpha, Rinnai, Daikin, Ferroli, Keston, Main, Ravenheat, 

and controls manufacturers including Nest, Honeywell Resideo, Danfoss, SALUS, ESi, Delta Dore and Drayton already implement OpenTherm technology in their systems. Some were better then others and not all of the products are 100% compatible with all boilers, but the quality and reliability are almost there.

The protocol also has the support of industry bodies HHIC and BEAMA who are committed to supporting OpenTherm’s wider introduction here.

But until the big boys like Worcester and Vaillant sign up and commit to allowing this protocol on their boilers in the UK, I can't see it being the complete finished article that we all want it to be.

Worcester and Vaillant sell their own controls using their own proprietary digital communication protocol, so they won't want to dent their profits.

I just wish more installers promote room load compensation, It really does matter what protocol it's using, then the market will really start to move.