What smart themostart are using?

tsobo · 15 Dec 2022 at 21:39

I am hoping to get into smart themostats, to see if this can help me save some of the heating in my home. Its a family of 6, 3 storey building and we are in and out and wake up at very different times and can see a case for smart themostats like hive, toda etc. I would have prefered Google nest but having done a bit of research, I understand this does not come with the ability to control individual rooms. So just wanted to check what are you using and why please?.

rumple9 · 15 Dec 2022 at 22:35

It's a con won't save you a penny. Just switch it on yourself

Pentland · 15 Dec 2022 at 23:07

Tado. And not only it will save you some money, it will be more comfortable to live with.

The1nonly1 · 15 Dec 2022 at 23:38

Controlling different rooms will require additional hardware such as smart TRVs if you only have one heating zone currently. I have Hive and I like that I can program the temp for certain times and control from phone anywhere but other than that, it's either on or off.

It has saved me money though.

Minstadave · 15 Dec 2022 at 23:56

Hive - useless junk.

I've got the original thermostat. Issues with dropping connection (although better with Li-Ion AAs actually), poor software (can't pair 2 lights in a room to come on together) and ecosystem is a bit junky (bulbs drop connection and tale multpli attempts to re-pair).

dlockers · 16 Dec 2022 at 00:47

Minstadave said:
Hive - useless junk.

I've got the original thermostat. Issues with dropping connection (although better with Li-Ion AAs actually), poor software (can't pair 2 lights in a room to come on together) and ecosystem is a bit junky (bulbs drop connection and tale multpli attempts to re-pair).

It's a heating thread and I'm not sure many folk buy hive for lighting tbh

Hive is owned by British Gas so does exceptionally well for heating imho.

Grim5 · 16 Dec 2022 at 00:53

Stay away from smart thermostats unless you want to spend endless hours in diagnostics. And even when it works, later on if god forbid and you lose connection, or your network dies or your fibre dies then you're screwed

Kainz · 16 Dec 2022 at 05:42

Tado. Been using it for few years at my place, and installed it at my elderly parents place this year because my dad kept breaking the Honeywell wireless thermostat controller buttons too frequently. It is brilliant and I've yet to have any downtime or issues.

Richie · 16 Dec 2022 at 06:04

Grim5 said:
Stay away from smart thermostats unless you want to spend endless hours in diagnostics. And even when it works, later on if god forbid and you lose connection, or your network dies or your fibre dies then you're screwed

Nonsense... I use Nest thermostats and never had a problem. Even if it lost a connection, you can just press the button on the heatlink as a manual "boost" function to turn your heating on.

R.O.S.S.I · 16 Dec 2022 at 06:58

Use nest at the moment and seems to be working well.

squerble · 16 Dec 2022 at 08:20

You'll only get the full benefit of a smart system if you buy every radiator a smart TRV too, so when you see £150 just for the Nest thermostat, add in another few hundred to get the TRV heads etc too.

happy_2008 · 16 Dec 2022 at 08:21

Using Nest here

robj20 · 16 Dec 2022 at 08:28

Grim5 said:
Stay away from smart thermostats unless you want to spend endless hours in diagnostics. And even when it works, later on if god forbid and you lose connection, or your network dies or your fibre dies then you're screwed

They don't all work like that.
Evohome is fully controlled via the at home display, internet only needed for remote control.

Evohome has saved me money and makes it a lot more comfortable no rooms too hot or too cold anymore. Only heat the rooms I need to

Pentland · 16 Dec 2022 at 09:10

Grim5 said:
Stay away from smart thermostats unless you want to spend endless hours in diagnostics. And even when it works, later on if god forbid and you lose connection, or your network dies or your fibre dies then you're screwed

Simply not true.

dlockers · 16 Dec 2022 at 09:37

Hive working well for me atm. Note the Living Room and Office Smart TRVs aren't working as the draught in the living room where the TRV is prevents it from getting a proper read-out. The office also doesn't work because the physical TRV that the smart thing screws onto is incompatible.

Rear Bedroom (the kids), Front Bedroom (mine) and the main Thermostat work perfectly though. I had the heating on all day yesterday and it cost £1 less than messing around with it manually.

Manbatius · 16 Dec 2022 at 10:18

squerble said:
You'll only get the full benefit of a smart system if you buy every radiator a smart TRV too, so when you see £150 just for the Nest thermostat, add in another few hundred to get the TRV heads etc too.

This is good advice.

We have a hive system, it's fine. But only as good as where you put the thermostat. So it's in the coldest room....

Imagine Dlockers post above but just one circle. That's ours. Much better with the smart TRV's. So go all in would be my advice.

Stu999 · 16 Dec 2022 at 10:33

@dLockers - you have an old and a new bathroom?

dlockers · 16 Dec 2022 at 10:36

Stu999 said:
@dLockers - you have an old and a new bathroom?

It's just how the other half live :cool:

mid_gen · 16 Dec 2022 at 10:39

I use the Worcester/Bosh Smart Home thing. Thermostat was already installed when I moved in, I added smart TRVs to all the radiators.

It would be more use if my house didn't leak heat like a sieve....but definitely saves money being able to not heat certain rooms.....particularly just keeping my study warm when it's just me working from home.

It doesn't need wifi or an internet connection to function.....but obviously need wifi for the app to work, and an internet connection if you want to control it outside the house.

dlockers · 16 Dec 2022 at 10:42

mid_gen said:
I use the Worcester/Bosh Smart Home thing. Thermostat was already installed when I moved in, I added smart TRVs to all the radiators.

It would be more use if my house didn't leak heat like a sieve....but definitely saves money being able to not heat certain rooms.....particularly just keeping my study warm when it's just me working from home.

It doesn't need wifi or an internet connection to function.....but obviously need wifi for the app to work, and an internet connection if you want to control it outside the house.

Have you done the maths on just getting an oil filled rad for your office?

It was just my wife yesterday and I suggested she knocked the heating off schedule and just used the oil filled radiator, but then second guessed myself as the fabric of the building would cool and then it'd be harder to get back up to temperature.

I am not a thermostat though so I don't know if that is totally true.