Anyone using it?
How’s it going?
Seems like a good, sensible idea, but how well is it working? Can you control it from 2 different phones?

And does it think you are in if you leave your phone at home, or a tablet running the app?

(Also interested)

I know you can use it from more than one device. You can logon from any computer as far as I know. I looked at it briefly but it doesn’t do what I wanted.

Plenty of Hive threads on here already…..

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/hive-active-heating-from-british-gas

Cheers. Thinking about it, I hadn’t altered the time scale when I did my search 🙄

In true STW style – you don’t want a Hive, you want what I’ve got: Nest learning thermostat.

I don’t see the point.

Why would you want to switch your heating on and off when you are not in the house?

If I’m not in the heating is off or it’s on auto with a low temp set on the thermostat to prevent any problems from frozen pipes etc.

Technology for the sake of it.

You don’t want the Nest thing. You want the Tado thing. Does everything the Nest does but quicker, and it works with your hot water too.

I don’t see the point.

Why would you want to switch your heating on and off when you are not in the house?

If I’m not in the heating is off or it’s on auto with a low temp set on the thermostat to prevent any problems from frozen pipes etc.

Technology for the sake of it.

We go away quite a bit and in irregular patterns. Background heat is fine to stop things breaking, but its nice to be able to turn things up a couple of hours from home and return to a toasty house.

Heatmiser here – works well with our mongrel oil/wood/solar system.

turn things up a couple of hours from home and return to a toasty house.

1st World Problems of the highest order!

A house would need to be empty for quite a few days before the internal structure and fittings cooled down enough for pipes to begin freezing. Think climbing huts and derelict houses here, not houses that are left unheated for a long weekend.

People underestimate the storage effect of the structure of their houses.

I have it – it’s a bloody useful bit of kit IMHO.

Pros:

* Being able to fiddle with the heating from bed. Or the lounge.
* Fine-tuning a schedule for the week ahead based on what’s happening – takes less than 2 minutes.
* Being able to keep the heating off if we’re late back.
* Having easy control over hot water timing.
* Wall thermostat is easy to use and clear for non-phone use.

Cons:

* No heating “boost” function (though one is coming).
* No wireless TRVs (again, coming soon apparently).
* Geolocation doesn’t actually change the heating, just gives reminders. And doesn’t seem to work well on my iPad.
* Thermostat looks a bit clunky.

The Nest looks good but has been badly fudged to make it work in the UK, requiring a number of intermediary units. It also, irritatingly, requires 12v to work. So you either have to bury a 12v transformer in the wall, have a cable dangling, or sit it on the table in a stand, again, with a cable dangling out the back.

It also can’t do hot water and can’t be controlled over the net, so you need a phone to program it.

gobuchul – Member
turn things up a couple of hours from home and return to a toasty house.
1st World Problems of the highest order!

POSTED 12 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST

You’re new here aren’t you? 😉

Continuing the recommend what you own theme, you could get a Tado

I installed mine at the end of December last year, and so far:

2013 Jan – Mar 3699.08 kWh £153.59
2014 Jan – Mar 3009.24 kWh £124.94

So nearly 20% saving compared to last year. Not sure if this is a function of a warmer winter this year, or the technology itself.

I get my money back if it doesn’t save €120 in the first year. It’s going to have to go some to do that.

The Nest looks good but has been badly fudged to make it work in the UK, requiring a number of intermediary units. It also, irritatingly, requires 12v to work. So you either have to bury a 12v transformer in the wall, have a cable dangling, or sit it on the table in a stand, again, with a cable dangling out the back.

It also can’t do hot water and can’t be controlled over the net, so you need a phone to program it.

No special interest in defending my purchase decision, but a couple of comments:

1. It is controllable online (via website login) or via a phone app.
2. It works by wifi, so there’s small wifi switch on the wall next to the boiler. My boiler’s in the garage, so it makes no difference to me.
3. I hadn’t considered the hot water point – I have a combi boiler, so get hot water on demand. But my heating is via LPG, so anything which can better manage consumption is fine with me.
4. It learns when you’re in/out and heats accordingly, so no need to actively control it. It also takes a local weather reading, and alters its behaviour to match.

1st World Problems of the highest order!

Winter before last (when it was v chilly), our LPG cost us £500 a month for 4 months. We now have a stove, so use that heavily in the sitting room and minimise central heating use in the rest of the house. Anything that can further lower the cost is fine with me. Not sure that’s an especially first world concern….

My mate uses the tado controller and he loves it. I have ordered one too, and the thing that swung me to tado is that it installs on your mobile devices and tracks your location, so knows when you come and go, learns about regular patterns and adjusts the heating automatocally. If your away and go to head home, the tado app knows this and turns the heating on at the right time to get the heat up to temp by the time you get home. If you come home every Tuesday evening, but are only in for 15 minutes and then head out again, it learns that and knows not to turn on the heating. The location thing is what makes it awesome. And my mate can see on graphs when his missus has returned and left the house, so slags he if shes late lol. You can either pay an up front cost, about £240 I think, or pay it every month at £6.99 a month. Follow them on twitter and ask a question and a guy will call you to check that you got the answer you need, and also offer you a 10% discount. Seem like really nice people too

Anything that can further lower the cost is fine with me. Not sure that’s an especially first world concern….

How does it lower the cost?

It sounds like most people use it to turn the heating on a couple of hours before they get home. That will cost more than simply switching on your heating when in the house.

Not sure if this is a function of a warmer winter this year, or the technology itself.

My money is on the warmer winter.

It sounds like most people use it to turn the heating on a couple of hours before they get home. That will cost more than simply switching on your heating when in the house.

A better comparison is against a traditional timer CH controller which switches the heating on at a set time regardless of whether anyone is home or not.

I put the gas fire on when I come in and keep the doors closed while that room warms up. In the meantime the second I come in I turn the heating on.
Draft chasing became an obsession with after I got this house. New windows, cavity wall insulation and attic insulation mean my heating gas bill is really quite low.
I’m sure many will love this “Hive” thing but to me it just looks like a gimmick.

or pay it every month at £6.99 a month.

For a fancy thermostat?

Not sure if this is a function of a warmer winter this year, or the technology itself.
My money is on the warmer winter.

Definitely a warmer winter, we have used half the logs and solid fuel we did last year.

How does it lower the cost?

It sounds like most people use it to turn the heating on a couple of hours before they get home. That will cost more than simply switching on your heating when in the house.

Simple efficiency of when it chooses to switch itself on and off, rather than having to rely on a timer.

I suspect for many people who use mains gas and have well insulated homes, the apparent difference will be minimal. For those who fall outside those “norms”, it’s more likely you’ll get a faster payback.

I don’t see the point.

Don’t get one then.

Why would you want to switch your heating on and off when you are not in the house?

I went to work on Friday morning, I was expecting to be back at around 4pm. And at home over the weekend.

As it happens, I didn’t go back home and a change of plans meant I was away all weekend only got back at 9pm last night (Monday)

My heating and hot water was on its usual timer operation coming on and going off to the whole time I was away (3.5 days) total waste of money. But there was nothing I could do as I wasn’t at home to change it.

1st World Problems of the highest order!

How is not wanting to waste money by burning fuel for no reason a first world problem ?

As it happens, I didn’t go back home and a change of plans meant I was away all weekend only got back at 9pm last night (Monday)

My heating and hot water was on its usual timer operation coming on and going off to the whole time I was away (3.5 days) total waste of money. But there was nothing I could do as I wasn’t at home to change it.
So you didn’t go home for clean undercrackers and whatever else?
Dirty bugger 😆

Simple efficiency of when it chooses to switch itself on and off, rather than having to rely on a timer

So, Hive is really a fancy timer, which stops the heating coming on when you’re out (based on where your phone is).

I mean, if we’re mostly in, then the difference will be practically nothing?

So you didn’t go home for clean undercrackers and whatever else?

My life is quite varied and interesting, I always have a bag of clothes etc with me in the van just in case.

It’s nice to be able to change plans and go off and do something exciting at the drop of a hat.

I installed mine at the end of December last year, and so far:

2013 Jan – Mar 3699.08 kWh £153.59
2014 Jan – Mar 3009.24 kWh £124.94

So nearly 20% saving compared to last year. Not sure if this is a function of a warmer winter this year, or the technology itself.

Are you in the UK? Because if you are you may have notice a massive temperature related seasonal differential in the two periods you’ve quoted which will have helped your numbers, which means they are probably not Hive related.

The monthly email I get from Hive tells me that on average my house is 4C colder than those in the surrounding area. Which if nothing else confirms that I’m (a) not home that much and (b) a cheapskate.

The monthly email I get from Hive tells me that on average my house is 4C colder than those in the surrounding area.

How the hell can it know that?

How the hell can it know that?

Because some of them also have Hive maybe ?

My heating and hot water was on its usual timer operation coming on and going off to the whole time I was away (3.5 days) total waste of money. But there was nothing I could do as I wasn’t at home to change it.

So you live by yourself and use a hot water tank?

If you really wanted to save money get a combi or if that’s not an option, switch off your HW when you are out.

Although TBH in your situation then having remote control of your heating does make sense. Still can’t see the point for 90% of people.

Personally I don’t use a timer, switch in heating on when I get up in the morning, house is well insulated so even in winter it’s not that cold in the morning. It also warms up very quickly.

Besides all this discussion, the radio advert for Hive is possibly the most annoying ever and totally puts me off.

hang on, what am I talking about.

this thing is a remote control thermostat?

presumably that means I can override what my wife sets on the thermostat? this could save me thousands.

presumably that means I can override what my wife sets on the thermostat? this could save me thousands.

Swings (heating bills) and Roundabouts (divorce settlement) innit 😀

Are these things mainly aimed at singles/couples without children?
our movements are so irregular one of these things would never work – plus what happens when someone’s at home but ‘the’ phone isn’t?

I do like tech [and am setting up a system that will allow me to remotely switch certain heating on and off at another property we have] but I bet you’d save more just by turning the temp down by 1 degree.

Are these things mainly aimed at singles/couples without children?
our movements are so irregular one of these things would never work – plus what happens when someone’s at home but ‘the’ phone isn’t?

Irregular movement is the whole point. Heating is on when you are home, off when you aren’t. The Tado will set the temp depending on how far away from home you are (so that you come back to a warm house). If there is someone that doesn’t have a phone, then you can set a manual schedule, or just override the system using the ‘Home’ button on the thermostat receiver.

Irregular movement is the whole point. Heating is on when you are home, off when you aren’t.

So if I’m out but the wife is home, but she’s going out to get two kids while I then come back but go out again to get the other kid, or we’re both out doing stuff but one of the kids is at home?
We’re rarely more than 6 miles from home so house would never heat up in time.
For us a 7 day timer is much better.

Plus, a house that’s allowed to cool down will just use more fuel heating back up.

My mistake, On/Off is inaccurate. It turns the heating down depending on how far away from home you are. How far down is up to you, there is a savings/comfort slider.

Plus, a house that’s allowed to cool down will just use more fuel heating back up

Really?

Heat miser is where it’s at apparently. So the bloke that fitted ours told me anyway!

@gobuchul – I realise we should have stuck with our 30 year old thermostat despite it sounding like a wind up toy and behaving quite erratically but I just couldn’t stand it any longer 🙂

Presumably you can turn the geo-placement thing off?

Plus, a house that’s allowed to cool down will just use more fuel heating back up.

Really?!