Review: the smart thermostat Nefit Easy

01Conclusion of the Nefit Easy thermostat review

A big advantage of the Nefit Easy is that this system gives you insight into gas consumption for heating and hot water. By means of geofencing, this system knows whether you are almost home and adjusts the heating accordingly. You can optionally also set a maximum shower duration, so that you can save on the cost of showering.

The Nefit system consists of, among other things, a smart thermostat, which serves as a complete replacement for your current thermostat. If you still use a central heating boiler, you can use the Easy Connect Adapter to control it. This system can both heat up in a self-learning way and heat in a modulating way.

02Full review of Nefit Easy

The Nefit Easy was one of the first smart thermostats brought onto the market by a heating manufacturer. The Nefit Easy quickly became hugely popular in the smart homes of the Netherlands. Rightly or not? Of course, we looked into that.

First of all, there are the functions of the Nefit Easy. These functions are actually quite extensive and go beyond just pleasantly adjusting the temperature. For example, the Nefit Easy has self-learning features, including a self-learning central heating clock programme and a self-learning coming-home programme, but the other possibilities are also worthwhile. For example, it is possible to set your own hot water programme, there is the fireplace function, you can control based on the weather and so on. Fault notifications can even be sent automatically to the installer, as can remote boiler analyses.

In terms of design, a lot has in any case improved compared with the earlier ModuLine thermostats. With these ModuLine thermostats you still had to rely on push and rotary buttons, whereas with the Nefit Easy you now get a nice display with a touchscreen. Of course it also depends somewhat on what you find attractive, but that is another matter. In any case, this display is conveniently lit and immediately contains all the information that the average consumer needs. We also consider the smartphone interface an important plus point, but you can certainly do without it.

In addition, there are the connection options at your disposal. For example, the Nefit Easy works perfectly in combination with the Nefit HR appliances from Bosch, but you can also combine it with appliances from other brands. In combination with a Nefit HR boiler you can achieve energy label A+, because the Nefit Easy can improve energy efficiency by 5%. You do then have to combine it with three Smart Radiator Thermostats, but for that you can simply buy the starter kit.

Out of the box

In practice, of course, everything starts with unpacking the thermostat. This is always an exciting moment, but we immediately notice that Nefit has made a strange choice. After all, they chose to include screws with a flat head. Such screws provide little grip and are harder to fasten. In addition, we had also ordered the Easy Connect Adapter, but we were taken aback when it was delivered without a terminal block and cable. As a result, we could not simply extend the wire between the central heating boiler and the thermostat. It may seem like nitpicking, but many other manufacturers do include this, and now we had to rush all the way to the DIY store.

As mentioned earlier, the design of the thermostat did appeal to us. A rectangular design with clean lines and dark materials simply looks good in a modern interior. Of course this does not mean that everyone finds it equally attractive, but that is something you have to decide for yourself. In any case, virtually all manufacturers opt for a rather modern style, which may not be equally appealing to everyone.

Saving possibilities and use

Once you get started with the Nefit Easy, the system already starts learning. These learning capabilities are handy, but do not differ much from those of other smart thermostats. The core of it is that it learns how temperature works in your home and rooms. Namely: how quickly does it cool down and how quickly does it warm up? This way the thermostat learns when it may start heating and when it has been enough. The whole process is tailored to the temperature curve, and reducing consumption is of course central to this.

Despite its learning ability, you will still have to set a few things yourself. Here too, the Nefit Easy does not differ much from other smart thermostats. For example, you have to set a schedule yourself that the smart thermostat will neatly follow, unless you suddenly adjust the temperature manually. A plus point, however, is the geofencing functionality, which not all smart thermostats have. With it, your thermostat knows where you are thanks to the GPS location of your smartphone and will then also control the temperature on the basis of this data.

Finally, it is also possible to control the hot water in a similar way, but you do need a recent boiler for that. A Nefit HR boiler is an example of this. Then too you can control the hot water supply down to the last detail so that no water is kept warm unnecessarily. It even has a shower timer with which you can set the maximum shower duration.

Privacy and independence

An important plus point is that Nefit Easy works completely independently of your energy supplier. This means you can keep using Nefit Easy when you switch to another energy supplier. Furthermore, data is not exchanged with energy suppliers or external servers. Everything is stored in the local memory, Nefit cannot view your data and Nefit cannot pass on or sell your data to third parties. All of this can also be read in Nefit's privacy statement.

03Installing the Nefit Easy

First of all, decide on a mounting location where you want to place the Nefit Easy. This must be a place where the temperature is representative of the entire home. In general, the living room is a suitable reference room. If you use weather-dependent control, however, this may also be a place other than the reference room. This is where you place the base plate. Do make sure there is enough free space and that you are not bothered by, for example, sunlight, hot lamps or heat from your CRT television.

04Connecting and mounting

After fixing the base plate, unplug the central heating unit and connect the bus cable to the base plate. You can choose the connection order of the wires yourself. Now hook the thermostat onto the base plate until you hear a click. The thermostat is now properly attached. For connecting to your central heating unit you always have several options and a lot depends on your central heating unit. Therefore, always consult the installation instructions of your central heating system.

05Starting up the Nefit Easy

The first time you take the Nefit Easy out of the box, you have to connect it to wifi. It will immediately display available wifi networks. Use the arrow keys to select the appropriate wifi network. This is your own wifi network and not that of the neighbours. Now press the OK key to select the wifi network and enter the network password. After connecting to wifi, the smart thermostat will automatically download the necessary updates. You can simply find the Nefit Easy app in Google Play or in the App Store.

06Setting the programme

Now you can get started with the Nefit Easy. By swiping up or down you raise or lower the temperature. Via the Nefit Easy app you can now also program the clock programme. On your Nefit Easy you can switch between manual operation and the clock programme by briefly pressing the manual operation key. In the app you can also enable "hot water follows programme", with which you program the hot water production in a similar way.

07How do you install Nefit Easy?

The exact installation process depends largely on which central heating boiler you have, but can generally still be divided into a few ready-made steps. These are shown below. In any case, we do recommend that you also have the installation instructions of your central heating boiler to hand. For specific mounting or installation instructions, the manual supplied with the Nefit Easy is also very useful reading.

08Frequently asked questions about Nefit Easy

With a recommended retail price of 257 euros you are of course buying quality, but on the other hand it is still a considerable investment for many people. That is why we recommend reading up properly in advance and making a conscious choice. The frequently asked questions below and their answers will certainly help.

Yes. With the holiday function you can switch to another programme or stop the temperature control in good time. That way you do not heat needlessly.