[Technology] Hive or other such products

[crodonilson]

Asking the great and good of NSC for their wisdom.

We currently have a typical thermostat in a relatively new build (5 years old) home, with a dial that sets the temperature to our desired choice. WIth the cost of energy going up so much I would like to get something installed so we can be a bit wiser about the temperature (Mrs Crodo is an absolute nightmare for leaving the temperature similar to that of Death Valley while we sleep overnight) so would like to get one of these smart thermostats installed ideally with wireless capability when we are away from home. So what would you recommend and are any of these products able to be installed by a relative novice or do I require some expertise??

 

[Brok]

Asking the great and good of NSC for their wisdom.

We currently have a typical thermostat in a relatively new build (5 years old) home, with a dial that sets the temperature to our desired choice. WIth the cost of energy going up so much I would like to get something installed so we can be a bit wiser about the temperature (Mrs Crodo is an absolute nightmare for leaving the temperature similar to that of Death Valley while we sleep overnight) so would like to get one of these smart thermostats installed ideally with wireless capability when we are away from home. So what would you recommend and are any of these products able to be installed by a relative novice or do I require some expertise??

No. A 5 minute job, no more

 

[Arthur]

Asking the great and good of NSC for their wisdom.

We currently have a typical thermostat in a relatively new build (5 years old) home, with a dial that sets the temperature to our desired choice. WIth the cost of energy going up so much I would like to get something installed so we can be a bit wiser about the temperature (Mrs Crodo is an absolute nightmare for leaving the temperature similar to that of Death Valley while we sleep overnight) so would like to get one of these smart thermostats installed ideally with wireless capability when we are away from home. So what would you recommend and are any of these products able to be installed by a relative novice or do I require some expertise??

Have Hive. Love it. Just don't install the app on your missus' phone as it's far too easy to whack the heating on for a boost. Equally as easy to switch it off though and you can do it remotely.

No idea about installation. I got mine from Amazon and paid the extra £100 (I think) to have it installed. Didn't take the guy long when he was here but I guess it wouldn't if that is all you are doing day in day out.

 

[lost in london]

No. A 5 minute job, no more

I think you might be overestimating people - putting in a new Nest thermostat (highly recommended) wasn't straightforward for me, took a couple of hours from memory. Felt like I was diffusing a bomb when I was trying to work out which wires connected where (I was swapping out a shitty wireless thermostat for a Nest one). I was staggeringly hungover though which didn't help.

 

[nordicgod]

Stuck a tado in my house 4 years ago and have a 8 year old new build so pretty insulated and I did the mother in laws last year. With us working shifts it saves a fortune and only comes on when arriving home , can boost it if needed

 

[Barham's tash]

I think you might be overestimating people - putting in a new Nest thermostat (highly recommended) wasn't straightforward for me, took a couple of hours from memory. Felt like I was diffusing a bomb when I was trying to work out which wires connected where (I was swapping out a shitty wireless thermostat for a Nest one). I was staggeringly hungover though which didn't help.

I bought one of these mid pandemic and have had two professionals in since (plumber and electrician) both didn’t want to touch it with a barge pole. Then I asked a mate who’s business is commercial electrician installations and he said it’s a nightmare…

So it still sits in its box gathering dust but I’m thinking after your efforts I might have a go!

 

[ConfusedGloryHunter]

I got a hive thing from Amazon and part of the deal was they came and installed it for us. I have had to reset it once in 3 years (because the wifi went squiffy).

Handy tip - simply disconnect the old thermostat controller but leave it in place (and tell no one about the new thing). This then lets other household members happily play with a meaningless dial while you keep the real temperature at a sensible level.

 

[Denis]

I have Hive for my water, heating and I’ve installed a couple of light bulbs that you control through the app too.
I love it, so easy to control temperature and times to come on.
For example, at the moment the heating and water come on at teatime. When I go to a 8pm KO I alter the times to 10:15 pm just for that evening. That way I’m not wasting energy while I’m out and it’s nice and warm when I get home from the game at 10:45’ish. If I forget, I can set it from the Amex, on my iPhone.
Also good when you’re on holiday, you can set the longe light to come on at various times to deter burglars.

 

[brighton_tom]

Have a Hive. Easy to set up, and simple to control with the app. Couldnt be more user friendly as far as I can see.

 

[Denis]

I got a hive thing from Amazon and part of the deal was they came and installed it for us.

Mine was from a British Gas or EDF deal where I got a free Amazon dot thrown in and installed too.

 

[Mr deez]

I got one cheap as I already had the hub from a previous house. You just have to add the reciever to the boiler and pair it up. I DIY'd having looked at a few wiring pictures online, and I'm no expert. It's easy enough BUT I suspect there are many variations on wiring setups so don't necessarily listen to me without doing some research yourself!!

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

I think you might be overestimating people - putting in a new Nest thermostat (highly recommended) wasn't straightforward for me, took a couple of hours from memory. Felt like I was diffusing a bomb when I was trying to work out which wires connected where (I was swapping out a shitty wireless thermostat for a Nest one). I was staggeringly hungover though which didn't help.

I paid an electrician who's a friend of a friend, he took about an hour. I don't have a combi so he needed to fit a control to my hot water cylinder as well as my boiler. The nest is great and usually it works really well. I love the fact that it develops an intelligent way of operating and that it can tell if you leave home or come back, it is also convenient if you have Google Home to say 'turn the thermostat to 20 degrees' or 'turn the heating on'. The only thing I dislike is that there is no Google Home integration for water.

 

[B-right-on]

Put a Hive system in a house we just refurbed. Was on special offer at Toolstation just before Xmas.

Got the plumber to fit it, took an hour max, but he knows what he is doing. Not something I'd personally touch incase it messes up the boiler pcb which would cost a lot more to fix than the £50 or so it cost to fit it. I've fitted plenty of kitchens, bathrooms etc but just not worth the risk imo.

 

[Mr deez]

And also, I wouldn't go without these days. I'll probably add the individual radiator TRV's at some point as when WFH we are upstairs all day, downstairs in the evening so would be good to be able to manage the temps zonally.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Stuck a tado in my house 4 years ago and have a 8 year old new build so pretty insulated and I did the mother in laws last year. With us working shifts it saves a fortune and only comes on when arriving home , can boost it if needed

Tado here too. I liked the fact you could get tado TRVs for existing radiators so that the Tado app can effectively control and programme every room in the house if you so wanted. Smart Tado stat on ground and first floor. The Tado TRV just replaces the body of a standard TRV, the plumbed in part remains in place.

 

[LamieRobertson]

Nest…had one of these installed a few years ago …purchased it from Amazon when they had one of their deals…paid the guy who services the boiler a small fee to sort it out when he was due a visit ..wish I had done it earlier

 

[Papak]

I have a Hive thermostat (2 actually as I have dual zone heating) plus a number of bulbs and sockets which control my lights etc. and 3 outdoor cameras.

I have a few lamps dotted around my downstairs and they are grouped together and all come on at dusk and go off at a time just after I am in bed.

Absolutely brilliant bit of kit. I also have a mesh system and the hive network sits on this but can still be controlled from phone via the app when out of the house.

You can set the app to remind you that you are leaving home or returning to control the heating and any footage from the cameras is saved for 24 hours free of charge.

I quite handy around the house but would recommend you get yours installed.

 

[virtual22]

Hive is brilliant, British Gas installed ours as part of the purchase price. They put something in the air cupboard as we still have a tank etc then the thermastat downstairs. I wouldn't have wanted to do this myself to be honest.

We now have lightbulbs, plugs, door sensors and stuff plugged into it and it's fantastic. For example, the hallway light now comes on when the front door opens and goes off after a couple of minutes. You can link everything to Alexa as well so you can just say "Alexa, tell hive to boost the heating for 30 mins" or "Tell hive to turn the hallway light off". There is also tonnes of ways you can programe your heating and water, eg weekends we have a different schedule. We also have a couple of lamps/lights that we have programed to come on automatically when it gets dark outside.

All in all, it's simple, intergrates well with other stuff and support have been really good when we had to talk to them.

 

[BN9 BHA]

I’ve got a Nest, apart from the actual thermostat looking the part the Nest system seems to have a complete mind of it’s own
The first week it went in ( with a new boiler ) it was coming on at 2.30AM, it was timed to come on at 6. After searching a few forums I’ve worked out that it wanted to pre heat the house, FFS I don’t want it preheated at 2.30AM. I have switched something over that stops this now.
It seems to turn itself up when I’ve turned it down if I’m doing jobs at home, also wants to stay turned down when I’m sitting around cold.
I’m often found calling the Nest system a c*** in my hallway

 

[matski_98]

I bought one of these mid pandemic and have had two professionals in since (plumber and electrician) both didn’t want to touch it with a barge pole. Then I asked a mate who’s business is commercial electrician installations and he said it’s a nightmare…

So it still sits in its box gathering dust but I’m thinking after your efforts I might have a go!

Its really not that hard. I did mine an about an hour. Just Googled the name of my boiler and Nest and the instructions I found on the were pretty straight forward. Just remember to take plenty of photos of where the wires go in case you need to retrace your steps.

My brother is having the same problem trying to find someone to fit his Nest, I suspect most trades can't be arsed with such a small job.