Hands up, who argues with their other half over the heating? That’ll be all of us then!
I am always cold, particularly now we’re in storm season and the temperature has plummeted down to the minuses. Yet whilst I’m sat with a tartan blanket around my knees, Craig’s in a t-shirt. Any schoolgirl attempt to elicit a small scrap of empathy from him (fake teeth chattering, dramatically sweeping my scarf around my neck, wrapping every inch of my body in blankets), simply results in him looking at me soberly and telling me to put a jumper on… Men!
Having said all this, I can see where Craig is coming from. He may be freakishly warm-blooded, but there’s no denying that energy costs have risen dramatically over the past decade. Whilst politicians dither and argue about how to resolve the biggest energy crisis in years, we’re all trying everything we can to keep costs down and avoid fiddling with the thermostat. There’s definitely never been a better time to get energy savvy, and it just might be easier, and more affordable than you think.
Hive (an offspring of the British Gas team) is a seriously nifty gadget that allows you to control your heating and hot water remotely from your tablet, laptop or smart phone. For £199 (including installation) the Hive Active Heating system offers a solution to wasted energy around the home. With potential savings of up to £150 a year, in just over one year it will have paid for itself. What’s more, the kit will be professionally fitted by a British Gas engineer right alongside your existing heating system - so not costly outlay. You won’t need to switch provider either so there’s minimal faffing around. It’s the perfect add-on for today’s busy family that could save you a fortune.
So what is it exactly?
The Hive Active Heating System features a sleek wireless thermostat that will sit discreetly on a wall of your choosing. You can adjust temperatures, set schedules and turn on the automatic frost protection feature to help keep your pipes from freezing over - I hear you, nothing new so far…
But where this bad boy really comes into its own, is the hub. You simply plug this little guy into your broadband router, and your thermostat is suddenly connected to the internet. You can now control it remotely from any smart device, from anywhere you like. To complete the set-up, a discreet little receiver is then installed close to your boiler that will allow your new thermostat to communicate with the boiler itself. Simple!
The App!
Simple it might be, but genius it definitely is. For temperature control on-the-go, the Hive app is free to download for iPhone and Android users. It’s simply packed with features that will help you stay economical with your heating. You can monitor the temperature within your house wherever you are - switching it off altogether when you’ve left the house, or whacking it back on when you’re a few miles from your front door (you might think you’re doing this anyway, but what about all those times when your plans change unexpectedly, or you’re stuck in traffic?). When you’re off on holiday - automatic frost protection will maintain your home’s temperature at a steady 7°C to ensure you’re not coming home to any nasty (and costly) surprises. We’re no strangers to this - we I once left the heating on high for a whole week when we holidayed in Portugal (I still haven’t been forgiven for this one).
It also offer the ultimate in scheduling flexibility, allowing you to set up to 4 events per day. For busy households like ours where we place lots of demands on our boiler, this feature would be invaluable. Our current boiler allows us to set just two events which is a real pain. The heating (and hot water) will come on for Craig at 5.30am, then go off whilst Dexter and mummy carry on snoozing. It’s then back on at 8am for Dexter and I to get showered and changed, then it’s a case of us having to manually adjust the temperature and turn it on and off throughout the entire day and evening. Inevitably mistakes happen and I’m forever rushing out of the door without turning the heating off - with Hive I can simply flick it off from my iPhone in the car, sat in the waiting room at the doctors, in the middle of Debenhams, sat on my friend’s sofa… anywhere! Genius, see?
So what do you think? Can you see yourself adopting the Hive Heating System for your home?
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