As above. 20% discount on Professional installation also available at £199.99 - amazon.co.uk/Hiv…F4/
38 comments
johnwillowlfc
18 Sep 17#1
£134.99 for the active heating, also discounts from warehouse deals for both options
Aeschylus
18 Sep 17#2
It took British Gas engineers, 3 visits (or recalls as they like to call them) to set mine up, I would strongly advise against self install unless you are 100% confident on electrical work, I thought it was going to be dead simply but they had a hurrendous time
pibpob to Aeschylus
18 Sep 17#6
That says more about British Gas technicians than anything...
InTheKnow444 to Aeschylus
18 Sep 17#23
Took em 90 mins to do mine as it was not straight forward (back boiler and water tank), he manged it though, well worth the install price of around £170 (Last February)
Energy bills seemed to have dropped about £15 a month since
bellboys
18 Sep 17#3
Heat for the price but unless you zone your heating with something like a Honeywell Evohome you're really just playing at smart heating.. No-one would dream of having just the one light switch that turned the whole house on and off but that's what the vast majority of homes have with their heating and gadgets like Hive, Nest etc do nothing to address this major problem..
centaurandrew to bellboys
18 Sep 17#4
That analogy only works if you think that people just turn one radiator on in the room that they are in. If you do that then I find it a bit odd.
In my experience - people have central heating set to come on at certain times around the whole house therefore this serves to achieve the exact same thing.
bellboys to centaurandrew
18 Sep 17#5
You're still heating rooms you won't be using for a while though, like bedrooms for instance. Of course you can say you have a TRV in those rooms set very low but that still means you have to go and manually turn it up when you need that room heating. Which sort of defeats the object of 'smart' heating...We can be sat in our toasty lounge with the bedroom set to off until bedtime. Come bedtime it's toasty warm without us having to move from the lounge at all. That is smart heating in a nutshell...
centaurandrew to bellboys
18 Sep 17#18
And that's not the point of this device. The point of this device is to take the exact same functionality that people have had for decades and automate it.
bellboys to centaurandrew
18 Sep 17#19
Oh, I agree. Hence my point that it's still 'playing' at smart heating. And you still have to manually adjust your TVRs, Looks nice enough though.
centaurandrew to bellboys
18 Sep 17#20
I'm off to go and post on the cheap pens thread how a printer would be a better option.
Rastafari
18 Sep 17#7
I've had Hive for three years now. Initially V1, I upgraded to V2 around 18 months ago. I also have 3 Hive Active Plugs.
One of my Active Plugs is in my conservatory, where there is no central heating. In to that Active Plug I have plugged an electric heater. I call that Active Plug "Conservatory".
I want to buy a 2nd Hive Thermostat and call it "Thermostat 2". I want to put it in the conservatory, purely to detect the temperature, not to control heating or hot water. I want to create two Hive Actions:
1. If "Thermostat 2" is 20 degrees or less, turn on "Conservatory". 2. If "Thermostat 2" is 22 degrees or more, turn off "Conservatory".
You would think that can easily be done. It can't. Hive natively can't do it. IFTTT can't help, neither can Alexa, Yonomi or Stringify. Very frustrating and disappointing.
djnaff to Rastafari
18 Sep 17#8
Piggy back this amazon.co.uk/Flo…LS8 its not ideal but should do what you want. Hive have been a bit useless with updates still waiting for apple home suport a year on and a way to control the lights from the wall
kudos1uk to Rastafari
18 Sep 17#9
Of course you can do that, you don't need the active plug you just use the new Hive to control a standard plug, you will probably have to use a relay due to the 13amp power of the heater (I think the Hive themostat is 3amp). The Hive thermostat does not only turn boilers on, It can turn any electrical equipment on based on the room temperature. The best way would be to set the conservatory up as a second zone and the thermostat turning the heater on and off, instead of the boiler. You would not be able to set the 2 degree differential you are looking for but no thermostat works like that, it will turn on and off at whatever temperature you set it for.
Rastafari to kudos1uk
19 Sep 17#35
I'm struggling with this. My Hive Multizone is being delivered by Amazon today. I've been to a local electrical supplies shop and explained what I want to do. Basically that I want to wire a Hive Receiver to control a 13A socket, but it's designed only to control a 3A boiler, so what do I need in between, but the guy wasn't able to offer any advice. I'm happy to buy that relay from eBay, but I haven't a clue how to wire it. Happy to do it, just don't know how. I called Hive, they couldn't help at all as what I'm trying to do is non-standard. So I guess I've hit a brick wall. :disappointed:
kudos1uk to Rastafari
19 Sep 17#34
Its actually very simple.
This is how a relay works:
So your low current circuit is the hive, instead of firing a boiler it is switching the coil, your high power circuit is the 13Amp socket supplying power to your electric heater.
Take a look at the wiring diagram on top on the connector (a connector is a solid state relay(ie no moving parts)): Once you understand the wiring diagram in the picture, you can understand what we are trying to achieve.
You have terminals A1 and A2, these are the Live & Neutral to the coil, the hive will supply power here and operate the coil and is only a few mA and well within the hives 3Amp limit.
The coil throws the two poles, like switching 2 light switch's on, what you do next is connect your 13Amp live into terminal 1 and live out to your new three pin socket comes from terminal 2.
You next have two options, as you have two poles you could also switch the neutral through terminals 3 & 4 (two pole switching is safer) or just use a chock block to join the neutrals and earths.
Just go back to your electrical supplier and tell them you want a connector (relay) that can handle 13Amp and is normally open (meaning in rest state when coil is not energised the switch is broken or "open"), it does not matter how many poles, one is enough, as I said above 2 could be considered safer any extra will remain unused.
You will also obviously need a wiring center to hide the relay away, I guess potentially you could get a deep pattress box and hide the relay behind the new 3 pin socket outlet.
Note: If you get a three pole relay DO NOT switch the earth, the earth must always stay connected and not be switched.
EDIT: actually, print off what I have written and show it to them, they will understand what you want to do.
Rastafari to kudos1uk
19 Sep 17#36
That's brilliant - thanks once again. As I was reading it, I was thinking I'm going to print this off and show it to them. Thank you again!
Rastafari to kudos1uk
21 Sep 17#37
Just back from the local electrical shop. I went in armed with a printout of your excellent advice, pictures and diagrams included, explained that I needed a solid state relay and exactly what I wanted to do.
As luck would have it there was a sparky in there at the time buying a few bits and when I said what I wanted to do with the hive in the conservatory, electric heater 13 amp socket etc, he said to the guy behind the counter exactly what I needed and what I needed to do, virtually word for word exactly as you had written in your post.
And he did say though, that it should be on its own circuit ideally off the fuse board, for safety. In my head I’m thinking the fuse board is in the cupboard under the stairs, then I’ve got to get it through the hall, through the living room, dining room and into conservatory. This is going to be a bigger job than I thought.
However, I’ve come this far and I’m not giving up. Since this sparky seem to know what he’s talking about I asked him what he’d want to do the job for me. He said £100. I thought about it, maybe I could get it done cheaper, but this guy knows his stuff and he happens to be right in front of me. So I thought 100 quid to save me a lot of work, time and the risk of blowing up my house seems worth it. So I agreed and he is coming tomorrow morning to do it. I shall let you know!
Rastafari
18 Sep 17#10
Thanks for replying. Not sure I understand, but I think you're saying that, rather than using a Hive Active Plug for the electric heater, I should buy Hive Multizone and hard wire the electric heater in to that, possibly via a relay. Am I right?
kudos1uk to Rastafari
18 Sep 17#11
Yes, your second thermostat will control a receiver which is just an on/off switch that can control anything electrical.
All you do is mount the receiver next to your existing three pin plug feed the power though the receiver (via a replay if needed) into a new thermostatically controlled 3 pin outlet.
Ideally if your existing 3 pin outlet is single gang you can replace the front with the receiver then output to a new surface monuted plug.
Rastafari
18 Sep 17#12
Thank you! Big help. I've ordered the Hive Multizone for £89 from Amazon. Could you point me in the direction of a relay I should buy, please?
kudos1uk to Rastafari
18 Sep 17#15
The last time I needed a relay I ordered a cheap Chinese one off eBay, In a case like this I think you would be best going into Maplin or a local electrical supplier, explain what you want to do and they can supply you one and run you through the wiring. A solid state relay would have no moving parts and be silent but more expensive than a traditional one.
Is there a place I can buy the install alone afterwards if I can't self install? Anyone know how much it is?
Can't see it on British gas site.
Thanks
InTheKnow444 to amb47uk
18 Sep 17#24
Currently, this is £199 with install on Amazon who would offer a full refund if for any reason the engineer cannot install it (check with them 1st before you order)
I think it's good value even at that price but if you put it in Camel Camel and bide your time, you might get it a bit cheaper
amb47uk to InTheKnow444
18 Sep 17#28
Thanks, maybe I should have been clearer.. I have the self install version already and the multi room bit. After lots of research etc, can't see an easy way to do this myself.
I need someone to do it for me.. But can't see the service anywhere on the Web I can pay for.
118luke
18 Sep 17#14
Mine is a dual zone house and unfortunately the thermostats are battery powered. All done by the builders to save a couple of quid in wire. :rage:
kudos1uk to 118luke
18 Sep 17#16
Hive thermostats are also battery powered, what is the problem?
118luke to kudos1uk
18 Sep 17#22
The thermostats also act as the control unit.
There is a pair of control wires running to the boiler from both of the thermostats - but no power cable. This is where the Hive/Nest units wont be compatible because their control units will require mains power.
They are compatible, you just need to wire the receivers in near the boiler or airing cupboard (if you have one), I have done lots of them. The receivers, that need the mains power don't go where the thermostats are, the new thermostats can go there to disguise the unnecessary wires you speak of.
Rickardo to 118luke
19 Sep 17#32
I think, when I researched how to install mine, I recall there may be a way to wire it without a "common" (which I believe is used for powering thermostats/receivers). However, I self installed with no previous experience and no existing thermostat or programmer (basic pinwheel timer on the boiler), by just wiring directly into the boiler.
Had a look last night - it might be possible as you say - ill need to place the receiver under the boiler and use the Boiler supply to power the receiver. There is a fused spur right underneath the boiler - looks like its going to be the best option.
Rickardo to 118luke
18 Sep 17#17
What's the issue with battery power for thermostats? Hive and Nest are battery powered - it's only the receiver that needs wiring into the boiler, but, granted, if you have wired thermostat, you can easily directly swap the reviewer into that wiring. But I'm guessing if you have existing battery powered ones, there must be a control unit anyway?
If you have a Honeywell smartfit system dont even attempt a self install unless your very competent its alot of work.
InTheKnow444
18 Sep 17#29
Don't think anyone offers this service (as a rule). reckon anyone would charge £60 just for turning up hence why £199 (or less) is a good deal installed
You need a wiring diagram for your existing timer (google search?), then you need to understand it, once you have done that, it could be achievable to install yourself
Vatman95
18 Sep 17#30
A solution to a problem which was never a problem in the first place.
Rickardo to Vatman95
19 Sep 17#31
Never a problem for you.
I bought the version 1 for £60 and it has been a solution to several problems, for me. Firstly, I didn't have an existing thermostat and only a basic pinwheel timer. Therefore, this has not only added a thermostat cheaply (i installed it myself, with some working out!), but also a flexible programmer/timer (different timings at weekends) and should save me money quite quickly.
Secondly, the remote function means if it is a chilly morning and I hadn't anticipated so that the heating was set for off, I can be warm in bed and switch it on/boost it from they're using my phone, in my loft conversion. Better than that, when we're away from the house on holiday in winter etc., we can activate the heating at an appropriate point en route, so that it is warmed up for when we arrive (this, for me, is a boon, as have often arrived home at midnight etc. with kids and trying to get them into bed in the cold).
kudos1uk
23 Sep 17#38
Glad you have it sorted out, it really does not need to be on it's own circuit as long as it was done in a wiring enclosure and fused spur but it certainly will be more professional if it is. Relays are used in loads of places, cars, appliances, it's just a way of controlling a high powered item with a low power circuit. You will certainly get a pro job if you got a sparky sorting it out.
![Fresh Breakfast Meat Box (Using code) @ Campbells Meat [Haggis / Lorne Sausage / Bacon / Black Pudding & More]](/images/topics/208684_1.jpg)
![[Xbox One] Q. u. b. e: Director's Cut on Deals with Gold](/images/topics/208716_1.jpg)
Opening post
20% discount on Professional installation also available at £199.99 - amazon.co.uk/Hiv…F4/
38 comments
Energy bills seemed to have dropped about £15 a month since
One of my Active Plugs is in my conservatory, where there is no central heating. In to that Active Plug I have plugged an electric heater. I call that Active Plug "Conservatory".
I want to buy a 2nd Hive Thermostat and call it "Thermostat 2". I want to put it in the conservatory, purely to detect the temperature, not to control heating or hot water. I want to create two Hive Actions:
1. If "Thermostat 2" is 20 degrees or less, turn on "Conservatory".
2. If "Thermostat 2" is 22 degrees or more, turn off "Conservatory".
You would think that can easily be done. It can't. Hive natively can't do it. IFTTT can't help, neither can Alexa, Yonomi or Stringify. Very frustrating and disappointing.
The best way would be to set the conservatory up as a second zone and the thermostat turning the heater on and off, instead of the boiler.
You would not be able to set the 2 degree differential you are looking for but no thermostat works like that, it will turn on and off at whatever temperature you set it for.
This is how a relay works:
So your low current circuit is the hive, instead of firing a boiler it is switching the coil, your high power circuit is the 13Amp socket supplying power to your electric heater.
Take a look at the wiring diagram on top on the connector (a connector is a solid state relay(ie no moving parts)):
Once you understand the wiring diagram in the picture, you can understand what we are trying to achieve.
You have terminals A1 and A2, these are the Live & Neutral to the coil, the hive will supply power here and operate the coil and is only a few mA and well within the hives 3Amp limit.
The coil throws the two poles, like switching 2 light switch's on, what you do next is connect your 13Amp live into terminal 1 and live out to your new three pin socket comes from terminal 2.
You next have two options, as you have two poles you could also switch the neutral through terminals 3 & 4 (two pole switching is safer) or just use a chock block to join the neutrals and earths.
Just go back to your electrical supplier and tell them you want a connector (relay) that can handle 13Amp and is normally open (meaning in rest state when coil is not energised the switch is broken or "open"), it does not matter how many poles, one is enough, as I said above 2 could be considered safer any extra will remain unused.
You will also obviously need a wiring center to hide the relay away, I guess potentially you could get a deep pattress box and hide the relay behind the new 3 pin socket outlet.
Note: If you get a three pole relay DO NOT switch the earth, the earth must always stay connected and not be switched.
EDIT: actually, print off what I have written and show it to them, they will understand what you want to do.
As luck would have it there was a sparky in there at the time buying a few bits and when I said what I wanted to do with the hive in the conservatory, electric heater 13 amp socket etc, he said to the guy behind the counter exactly what I needed and what I needed to do, virtually word for word exactly as you had written in your post.
And he did say though, that it should be on its own circuit ideally off the fuse board, for safety. In my head I’m thinking the fuse board is in the cupboard under the stairs, then I’ve got to get it through the hall, through the living room, dining room and into conservatory. This is going to be a bigger job than I thought.
However, I’ve come this far and I’m not giving up. Since this sparky seem to know what he’s talking about I asked him what he’d want to do the job for me. He said £100. I thought about it, maybe I could get it done cheaper, but this guy knows his stuff and he happens to be right in front of me. So I thought 100 quid to save me a lot of work, time and the risk of blowing up my house seems worth it. So I agreed and he is coming tomorrow morning to do it. I shall let you know!
All you do is mount the receiver next to your existing three pin plug feed the power though the receiver (via a replay if needed) into a new thermostatically controlled 3 pin outlet.
Ideally if your existing 3 pin outlet is single gang you can replace the front with the receiver then output to a new surface monuted plug.
Something like this: ebay.co.uk/itm…852
Can't see it on British gas site.
Thanks
amazon.co.uk/Hiv…6F4
I think it's good value even at that price but if you put it in Camel Camel and bide your time, you might get it a bit cheaper
I need someone to do it for me.. But can't see the service anywhere on the Web I can pay for.
The thermostats also act as the control unit.
There is a pair of control wires running to the boiler from both of the thermostats - but no power cable.
This is where the Hive/Nest units wont be compatible because their control units will require mains power.
Here is the exact model:
products.danfoss.co.uk/pro…00/
I posted some pictures on a previous thread if interested:
hotukdeals.com/dea…679
You need a wiring diagram for your existing timer (google search?), then you need to understand it, once you have done that, it could be achievable to install yourself
I bought the version 1 for £60 and it has been a solution to several problems, for me. Firstly, I didn't have an existing thermostat and only a basic pinwheel timer. Therefore, this has not only added a thermostat cheaply (i installed it myself, with some working out!), but also a flexible programmer/timer (different timings at weekends) and should save me money quite quickly.
Secondly, the remote function means if it is a chilly morning and I hadn't anticipated so that the heating was set for off, I can be warm in bed and switch it on/boost it from they're using my phone, in my loft conversion. Better than that, when we're away from the house on holiday in winter etc., we can activate the heating at an appropriate point en route, so that it is warmed up for when we arrive (this, for me, is a boon, as have often arrived home at midnight etc. with kids and trying to get them into bed in the cold).
Relays are used in loads of places, cars, appliances, it's just a way of controlling a high powered item with a low power circuit.
You will certainly get a pro job if you got a sparky sorting it out.