Warm Welcome, Low Bills: The Science of Pre-Heating for Short-Term Rentals

Hosts don’t fear cold houses — they fear bad reviews. So when someone suggests “turn the heating off between guests,” the instinctive response is, “Won’t the place be freezing when they arrive?”
Fair worry. Wrong solution.

The fix isn’t “on” or “off.” It’s timed pre-heating: warm only when it matters, not while the property sits empty. That’s exactly what Alfred (Air Auto Mate) does — automatically, based on your booking calendar.

Comfort isn’t continuous heat — it’s heat at the right time

Continuous heating treats comfort like a 24/7 subscription. Pre-heating treats it like an appointment:

• Heat begins ahead of check-in, not all day.

• The place reaches your target temperature right when guests arrive.

• After checkout, power down. No drama. No drafts. No waste.

This is the shift from control (remembering to open an app) to automation (never thinking about it again).

The “too cold” myth (and why it hangs around)

Hosts keep heating ticking over because:

• “It takes ages to warm up.”
  That’s a scheduling problem, not a comfort problem. If you know the check-in time, you know when to start.

• “Pipes! Damp! Mould!”
  Sensible setbacks (e.g., 12–14°C) protect the building envelope without burning through cash. Alfred supports setbacks as part of the schedule.

• “Guests might arrive early.”
  Pre-heat windows can flex. If someone checks in sooner, Alfred can bump the start time forward.

How Alfred plans your warm welcome

Alfred reads your booking calendar and handles three simple phases for each stay:

1. Setback (Between Stays)
   Maintain a protective baseline (not comfort temp). This prevents moisture issues and avoids deep cold so pre-heating is faster and cheaper.

2. Pre-Heat (Before Arrival)
   Start heating X minutes/hours before check-in, based on your property’s response time.

   • Radiators + well-insulated? Shorter lead time.

   • Older building + large volume? Longer lead time.
     Alfred learns and you can fine-tune.

3. Hold & Release (During & After Stay)
   Keep temperature steady while occupied; power down once they leave. Zero manual taps.

A quick, realistic example

Let’s say your cottage sits empty 3 days this week and has a Friday–Sunday booking.

• Old way:
  Leave heating on low all week “just in case.” You pay for ~72 hours of heat that no guest experiences.

• Alfred’s way:

  • Mon–Thu: Setback.

  • Fri 14:00: Pre-heat starts.

  • Fri 16:00: Guests arrive to comfort temp.

  • Sun 11:15: Checkout → Alfred powers down to setback.
    You pay for heat only when it creates actual comfort.

Result: Same guest experience. Smaller bill. Lower carbon.

What about hot water?

Same logic. If you run a cylinder or combi:

• Heat water ahead of use (arrival window, morning/evening patterns), not constantly.

• For back-to-back cleans, schedule a post-checkout hot-water boost so housekeeping has what they need without leaving it on all day.

Dial in your property’s “pre-heat curve”

Every building is different. A fast way to tune yours:

• Pick a target temp, e.g., 20°C.

• Start with a safe pre-heat window, e.g., 2 hours before check-in.

• Observe: If it overshoots or reaches target early, shorten. If it’s a touch late, extend.
  Alfred remembers your choices; you won’t keep tweaking.

Why guests actually notice less with automation

• Consistency: No “cold on arrival” or “sauna by 2am.”

• Silence: No frantic manual fiddling or apologetic messages.

• Predictability: The property behaves the same way for every stay.

Great reviews aren’t about drama. They’re about nothing going wrong.

Smart heating for smart stays

You don’t need to heat an empty space to protect comfort.
You need timing. Alfred brings it: setback between stays, pre-heat before arrival, hold during occupancy, power down at checkout — all from your calendar.

Warm welcome. Low bills. Fewer worries. That’s the whole point.

Want help choosing a sensible setback and pre-heat window for your property type?