British Gas Remote ...
 

[Closed] British Gas Remote Heating Controls

20 Posts
10 Users
0 Reactions
90 Views
Posts: 4
Free Member
Topic starter
 

Absolutely geek tastic. I'm in love with it. I'm turning my boiler on and off with my iPhone.
[img] [/img]


 
Posted : 10/09/2012 4:11 pm
Posts: 145
Free Member
 

They are selling pretty well (I do the numbers for the Smart Homes team in Staines), but I'm yet to get mine, was supposed to be on the early trial but my boiler wouldn't take it. Going to get one when I move though


 
Posted : 10/09/2012 4:15 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

Are you on commission? 😆


 
Posted : 10/09/2012 4:51 pm
Posts: 20682
Free Member
 

Be cool if you could turn taps on and off too, Put the shits up your cleaner/au pair.

🙂


 
Posted : 10/09/2012 4:58 pm
Posts: 4
Free Member
Topic starter
 

Yorkshire Pudding - Member
Are you on commission?

POSTED 7 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST

I really wish I was.


 
Posted : 10/09/2012 4:59 pm
Posts: 77725
Free Member
 

Maybe I'm missing something here. It's cool and all, but is there much call for adjusting the heating controls in a house you're not in?


 
Posted : 10/09/2012 5:11 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

Damn right there is! When you're not in there's no need for your wife and kids to be warm is there? 😆


 
Posted : 10/09/2012 5:13 pm
Posts: 145
Free Member
 

It seems there is, say you are spending 3-6K on a new heating system, the £199 on app to control it from the internet is not much extra


 
Posted : 10/09/2012 5:15 pm
Posts: 4
Free Member
Topic starter
 

but is there much call for adjusting the heating controls in a house you're not in

Elderly relatives maybe, keep an eye on them. Or you're meant to be home, but you're staying out, the heating is on timed, you can turn it off. It seems pretty useful to me. Time will tell I suppose


 
Posted : 10/09/2012 5:17 pm
Posts: 39520
Free Member
 

Sounds a bit gimicky to me , id expect any heating system to outlast a phone what if its not compatible with your next phne and requires another 199 quid ?

I can see its advantages but i subscribe to the keep your house at a reasonable temperature 85% of the time and dont be heating it up from cold every time. But then i have alot of thermal mass to heat up in a concrete slab floor and solid walls throughout


 
Posted : 10/09/2012 5:21 pm
Posts: 1547
Full Member
 

So am I the only cynic left on here ? BG sell gas right why do they want to sell you a product that saves you money. And yes I have a real grudge against them before anybod asks 🙂


 
Posted : 10/09/2012 5:46 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

On a serious note, the iphone bit is a bit gimmicky and mainly useful for turning heat on on the way home from holiday/work etc. the best bit is the ability to control from your laptop very easily and get into your advanced settings (7 day times and temperatures) very easily which you can alter miles easier than tapping through the settings on a programmer. You could change daily depending on work shifts which would be really useful or as Paulos points out controlling the heating for an elderly relative who lives miles away where you could also set text alerts to notify if the temp in their house drops below a certain level indicating them turning it off or a potential boiler breakdown.


 
Posted : 10/09/2012 5:47 pm
Posts: 77725
Free Member
 

the £199 on app to control it from the internet is not much extra

Well, it's £199 extra. I can think of better ways of spending two hundred quid.

Or you're meant to be home, but you're staying out, the heating is on timed, you can turn it off. It seems pretty useful to me.

I suppose if you used it as a cost saving exercise, it might pay for itself eventually. Good point.


 
Posted : 10/09/2012 5:50 pm
Posts: 4
Free Member
Topic starter
 

Sounds a bit gimicky to me , id expect any heating system to outlast a phone what if its not compatible with your next phne and requires another 199 quid ?

Well, it's £199 extra. I can think of better ways of spending two hundred quid.

The app is free, it's the clock/stat and receiver that you buy, and from my side of the business (service), we sell it for a similar price to standard controls

BG sell gas right why do they want to sell you a product that saves you money

We also give away free cavity and loft insulation, sell energy efficient boilers, give away energy efficient light bulbs, install smart meters, the list goes on.


 
Posted : 10/09/2012 5:58 pm
Posts: 1547
Full Member
 

Excuse me but I thought you HAD to "give away" insulation to meet your carbon targets ? Please correct me if I'm wrong and explain the details. Ta


 
Posted : 10/09/2012 6:01 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

We also give away free cavity and loft insulation, sell energy efficient boilers, give away energy efficient light bulbs, install smart meters, the list goes on.

While the app is geeky and might be useful for some, I can't help thinking that money would be better spent on insulating the home. More Passiv Haus and less Code for Sustainable Homes.


 
Posted : 10/09/2012 6:03 pm
Posts: 4
Free Member
Topic starter
 

Excuse me but I thought you HAD to "give away" insulation to meet your carbon targets ? Please correct me if I'm wrong and explain the details. Ta

I never said we didn't.


 
Posted : 10/09/2012 6:04 pm
Posts: 1547
Full Member
 

Thanks 🙂


 
Posted : 10/09/2012 6:06 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

frankly ball cocks and simply app of the day..

heating controls can be fantastically elaborate as the above proves.. but simply what is the point?

of the hundreds of homes i visit each year only two actively monitor and know and understand thier gas usage ( thier both retired accountants)

most measure thier gas usage in how much they spend on monthly direct debit payments and most of them cannot quote accurately

most homes today have room and radiator thermostats and the great majority dont understand care how to use them

the majority of homes heat is managed by using a room stat as an on / off switch..

if your in a position where you believe 90% of homes use the internet and that believe that most people have a mobile phone.. dream on.. i live and work in the real world where folks want an on off switch for thier heating..


 
Posted : 10/09/2012 7:37 pm
Posts: 7561
Free Member
 

I've got a heatmiser one. Was £150. Does all that.
I wanted it cos I keep going away and coming back at odd times. And wanted to turn my heating on from airport or m1 or whatever.
Or so I can turn it off when I forget.


 
Posted : 10/09/2012 7:42 pm
Posts: 39520
Free Member
 

Totalshell you just made me want this......

I actively monitor oil usage

Mrs tr uses it as an on off switch and just ramps it up instead of using the woodburner as thats too much effort apparently.

If i had that i could maintain an even usage from afar haha.( i work abroad alot)


 
Posted : 10/09/2012 7:47 pm