Getting a smart electric boiler — The Ariston Velis
It started as a simple task: find a smart boiler with wifi. Why? Because I want to make it smarter by attaching it to my PV panels and have it heat up more water when the solar panels produce extra electricity.
I quickly stumbled upon the Ariston Velis Evo Dry. It’s a smart boiler which learns your hot water use behaviour and uses that to only heat the water when needed. Not only does it look good, it’s only 27 cm thick and it looks beautiful. It has 2 tanks which only fill up if you really need them (being smart here) and incoming cold water is slowly mixed with hot water of the tank using some kind of layered technology called Nanomix. The manual even said something about Wifi so that looked like the perfect fit for me. I can’t wait to have a look at its APIs 😁.
However, I quickly found out that the Wifi wasn’t that self-evident, nor was the ‘Dry’ part of the boiler. I also like the metal brushing (or is it grey plastic?), but even that was not self-evident.
I found different model numbers for what seemed to be the same machine. Selecting different countries on the Ariston website also results in different models so that looked like hell to me.
For myself, and for others that want the same smart boiler, here’s the full list of models I found searching the web:
You may think I’m crazy, compiling this list. But this gives a big insight into which models have been made over the years. Note that the dates you see are extracted from the pdf’s metadata.
When looking at the list, you will see that they essentially have 7 models:
- Velis Evo Inox (2015)
- Velis Evo (2016)
- Velis Evo Wifi (2016)
- Velis Evo Plus (2016)
- Velis Evo Plus Wifi (2017)
- Velis Evo Dry (2019)
- Velis Evo Dry Wifi (2019)
The weird thing though is that some models seem to have 2 model numbers. For example the Velis Evo Dry with a capacity of 80 liters has model numbers 3626266 and 3626245 . The first is marketed as the Velis Evo Dry 100 EU and the second one as the Velis Evo Dry 80 FR EU. Checking the datasheet, the second one has 2 resistors per tank while the first one only has one. This makes the boiler slightly heavier. The reason the earlier version was marketed as 100 while its real content is 80 liters is because it compares to a 100 liters traditional boiler.
Also, the UK model comes with an extra unvented kit while the European models don’t. That must be some kind of regulatory thing.
Obviously I’m interested in the ‘dry’ version. ‘Dry’ means the resistor doesn’t come in direct contact with the water which prevents limescale. I must say there are some online shops out there who wrongly market the Velis Evo Plus as the Velis Evo Dry which only adds to the confusion 😔.
Living in Belgium, I can buy the latest Velis Evo Dry at a local webshop. Unfortunalty the wifi version is only available in France. Curiously the iOS app is also not available on the Belgian app store.
I guess I’ll either have to settle for the non-wifi version or cross the border and get one in France.
Update: The Velis 3.0
As I really wanted the wifi version, I checked with several French webshops and they all told me the same: the wifi version isn’t available anymore. I contacted Ariston France and they told me they don’t produce it anymore for “commercial purposes”.
I also contacted Ariston Belgium and they responded that because of “strategic choices” the Velis Wifi will only be available in 2024 in Belgium!
I then stumbled upon Ariston’s anual report of 2021. In that report I discovered that they created a new and improved Velis, called the Velis 3.0. But, and this most surprising, they presented it in the summer of 2021 in Russia! Indeed, looking up the Velis 3.0, it’s for sale on Russians websites as well as on Ukrainian sites. Of all countries, these are the only 2 countries in the world that sell the latest and greatest smart boiler 😮
I must admit, it looks damn good:
Plus, they also have it in the 100 litres version, which is the same height als the older 80 litres version.
That might explain why the Velis Wifi is due for 2024 in Belgium. They probably have a serious problem with the current Russian sanctions as the Velis 3.0 is being produced in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Is it worth the money?
I was thinking of buying a cheap boiler until the wifi version comes out in 2024, but doing the math reveals I should buy the Velis anyway. The Velis Evo Dry 80 liters can be bought for around € 600 while a cheap 100 liter boiler is about half the price. Yet, the annual power consumption doubles with the cheap boiler (2703 kWh/year vs 1291 kWh/year). That’s around 1400 kWh more per year. At a price of € 0,50/kWh that’s a saving of € 700 per year. With those savings I can buy a new smart boiler next year 🙂. Even when electrical costs drop back to € 0,10/kWh (as in 2021) we still save money after 2–3 years.
Can I take a bath?
Throughout this investigation, I always wondered if the 80 liters is enough to take a bath. As they’re always taking about showers, it’s pretty confusing if they even advise to use the Velis for bath taking.
Doing the math it should be possible. Mixing 80 liters of hot water at 80°C with 90 liters of cold water at 5°C would result in 170 liters of 40°C which is more than enough to fill a bath and even take some extra showers. Off course, you don’t want the water to be that hot all the time.
I even found this guide which states that the 80 liters Velis would provide enough water for taking a bath, a shower, use the bathroom sink and even do the dishes:
Velis Evo Dry 100 EU (model 3626266)
