How a smart thermostat ended our home heating battles
When it comes to home heating, comfort can very much be in the eye of the beholder. Yet with power prices at a premium, we’re more aware than ever of the need to monitor our energy use. Here writer Tim Gibson explains how the purchase of the latest addition to the Hive smart thermostat range helped him solve the seasonal heating debate – and save money
Like many people, I adore the transitional seasons. Spring brings feelings of unadulterated joy as I relish the burst of life that emerges in the world. And I find autumn similarly inspiring: the crisp crunch of fallen leaves never fails to delight.
But there is one black cloud that has traditionally hovered over our household when the weather turns. It’s the knowledge that my wife and I will reprise our long-running battle over the central heating control: she ratcheting it up to max at the merest hint of a chilly evening, me wrestling the dial down in my quest to save money.
Not this year, though. Because now we have a 2021 GOOD DESIGN® Award-winning Hive Thermostat Mini and can control the temperature with pinpoint accuracy. Which means it’s easier than ever to find a setting that pleases us both.
Taking control
Smart heating is about a lot more than easy control. The technology also enables you to operate your central heating and hot water controls from your phone. That means you can programme it and turn it on and off or up and down, wherever you happen to be.
For example, via the Hive Thermostat Mini that sits elegantly in our hallway at home, we’re able to turn the heating up from its 7°C frost protection setting while returning from a weekend away. That means our thick-walled 1950s house is warm the minute we walk in – and my wife resists the urge to overheat it while compensating for a too-cold welcome.
Even better, we’ve set it up to give us a nudge on our phones when we leave without turning the heating off. That means we’re not warming an empty house, satisfying my parsimony and alleviating at least some of our climate-change guilt.
Making savings
The contribution to carbon reduction is a major appeal of the Hive Thermostat Mini, which costs £119 (£59 to existing Hive Hub users). Now, our heating is only on when we need it, and easily set to the right temperature for the weather conditions. The Mini could also save us up to £110 a year on our bills, by never heating an empty home*.
We could gain even more control by using the smart thermostat in conjunction with a Hive Door Sensor. This detects if we leave the house and turns the heating off between certain preset hours, but leaves it on if we stay put. In an era of flexible working, that has a strong appeal.
By subscribing to Hive Heating Plus for £39.99 a year (or £3.99 per month), we could save more money still – up to £10 a month in the colder months**. This service gives you tailored tips for reducing heating costs, based on an 24/7 analysis of your household energy usage.
Our analysis would show a clear pattern of reduced use in the months since we got our Hive Thermostat Mini. If only the tech could monitor levels of energy-based disputes, then I reckon it would report a significant reduction in those, too.
*Savings based on an average annual energy consumption of 10,578 kWh at (3.8p per kWh). Carbon saved per year: 488.2 Kg CO2e (0.184kg of CO2e per kWh). **Over half of users who set a savings target, saved an average of £10 per month, between Oct 2020 and Jan 2022 excluding June, July and August 2021. Over a quarter saved an average of £18 pm during the same period whilst the average across all users with a savings target was over £5. In both cases (* and **) savings achieved could be higher or lower depending on the weather, previous energy usage, energy tariff, home and heating system properties and home heating habits.
Click here to find out more about the Hive Thermostat Mini and smart heating range