homeassistant

I Just Found the Holy Grail of Heating Thermostats for Home Assistant

Bartosz Maciejewski

29 Jan 2025 — 4 min read

For years, I was content with my old Zigbee thermostats. They worked well, but after 3.5 years, about half of them required additional zip ties to keep the fragile battery covers from falling off. Plus, with their two-battery setup and inconsistent contacts, they drained power way too fast.

Why Smart Thermostats Matter

If you’re serious about Home Assistant and heating automation, you need a solid thermostat. I highly recommend Tuya-based models, specifically those using the TS0601 chipset. They offer the best compatibility and integration options within HA. Those below are my main thermostats still, but keep in mind little quirks I described above:

These thermostats integrate seamlessly with HA and offer programmable remote control. However, I strongly advise against relying on their internal temperature sensors. They're wildly inaccurate and difficult to configure properly in HA.

The Better Solution: Better Thermostat

Instead of trusting the built-in sensors, I use Better Thermostat. This integration does everything a smart TRV should do but leverages external temperature and humidity sensors, outdoor temperature data, weather integrations, and even window sensors for better efficiency.

It’s still in beta in HACS, but in my setup, it has been fantastic. You’ll also want this UI card to enhance the experience: Better Thermostat UI Card.

Recommended External Sensors

Temperature & Humidity: Aqara Zigbee Wireless Sensor:

Window/Door Sensor: Aqara Door Window Sensor Zigbee:

The Quest for a Better Thermostat

I had been using seven thermostats: six Zigbee models and one Zwave (Fibaro). The Fibaro unit, despite being the most expensive, literally fell apart. The internal plastic gears disintegrated over time—so much for premium pricing!

The True Holy Grail: MOES Tuya TRV

Enter the MOES Tuya Intelligent WiFi/Zigbee TRV—a game changer. What makes it so good?

Superior LED Display: No more segmented numbers—this has a crisp, modern interface.
Intuitive Control: One pressable dial, easy left-right adjustments.
Long Battery Life: Runs on three AA batteries, and after three months, still at 98%!
Whisper-Quiet Operation: No more loud valve clicks in the middle of the night.

Fixing Better Thermostat Integration Issues

I initially had some struggles with Better Thermostat—it kept setting the valve to 100% open no matter what. However, after upgrading Zigbee2MQTT to 2.0.0 and reconfiguring, it finally works as intended.