British Gas Hive: cut your energy bills with remote control heating

British Gas claims its new app, Hive, can help you control your heating anytime, anywhere via your mobile phone. But do you really need it?

British Gas would have you believe that heating our homes to just the right degree dominates our thoughts so much that we need to keep tabs on it wherever we are and whatever we’re doing.

A bog standard pre-programmable thermostat isn’t enough according to the energy giant, which has started flogging internet-based remote control heating at £199 a pop.

But is the futuristic heating control really necessary or just for gadget freaks?

What does Hive offer?

Hive costs £199 and includes a wireless thermostat, a boiler control unit and a hub that connects to your router. The fee includes an installation worth £80 which you might be able to get cheaper elsewhere.

The hub communicates with your thermostat, smartphone and PC, either via your home network or over the internet through your router, and passes your commands to the receiver. Users get free access to an online account, Hive app and technical support.

British Gas says it will save households up to £150 a year so you’ll have to wait until year two to recoup your initial investment. Crucially, you don’t need to be a British Gas customer to get Hive installed.

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How Hive helps you save money

Once you’re all set up on Hive you can turn your heating up and down whenever you want, boost your hot water when you need it, set temperature alerts, and use “active frost protection” to help avoid frozen pipes.

Users can also input schedules for each day of the week, depending on their plans, and have a different programme for weekends than in the week.

The idea is users cut waste and save money as well as being able to heat their property or water in time for when they get home – so no more trudging home from the gym looking forward to a bath then remembering the hot water isn’t on, or sitting in your office cursing yourself for not switching the heating off on a day that no one’s home.

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Remote control heating: other options

To date, there are two main rivals to Hive in the UK: Tado and Honeywell Evohome.

German brand Tado costs £249 plus £50 for installation. There is also an option to rent the device at a cost of £6.99 a month. Tado reckons it can save you about £120 a year.

Tado is potentially a bit cleverer than Hive. It can track your smartphone's location so it knows when you have left the house and when you will be returning. Together with this data and the weather temperature outside and how warm you like your home to be, it adjusts the heating accordingly.

So by the time you set foot through the front door it will have automatically heated your home or water to your ideal temperature.

Honeywell's Evohome is wireless-connected heating system which will let you control individual radiators and therefore up to 12 specific “zones”.

It’s quite pricey though – £249 for the Evohome Connected Pack and £77 for each radiator zone kit. So the total cost depends on how many zones you want.

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Do you really need remote control heating?

Opinion is split about whether you really need remote control heating. If you’re at home then getting up off the sofa to adjust the thermostat doesn’t take much effort and is much cheaper. And if you come and go at the same time every day then simply programming the thermostat is probably enough.

Gadgets such as Hive, Tado and Evohome are more useful for people with varying schedules who are never sure when they’ll be home but like a warm house or hot water the moment they walk through the door.

Personally, I think I can live without a clever smartphone app to heat my home for now given the upfront costs involved. Chances are other energy or app companies will launch rival gadgets and we could see prices fall before long. And with summer coming, who needs heating?

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