# Smart Thermostats



## MrGrumpy (2 Dec 2021)

Just a little tale about the last 24hrs . Our Nest thermostat gave up the ghost yesterday. Well the Heatlink did which is the interface between the room stat and the boiler control.
The problem with all these fancy smart stats is that your up the creek if it all goes wrong as no way to override . Well …… you can but you need to short wires out.
So phoned up google and explained all , went through the faulting etc. agreed it was goosed . Now this is a system that’s 2.5 yrs old, well they posted out a new stat and Heatlink next day delivery to replace it with and will cover the cost of install .
Not bad to be fair , problem is I didn’t know it was next day and decided that I couldn’t do without heating and hot water  . So fired up to Screwfix and bought a new setup .
Anyway might have to eBay this lot I have now and recoup some cost .


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## Joffey (2 Dec 2021)

I’ll buy it for a tenner…


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## MrGrumpy (2 Dec 2021)

Joffey said:


> I’ll buy it for a tenner…


Sure…….


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## Joffey (3 Dec 2021)

MrGrumpy said:


> Sure…….



Boooooooo 👍


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## Drago (3 Dec 2021)

We have a Vaillaint smart thermostat. The extra fearures are useless to me with no phone, but Mrs D likes it. Being the manufacturers own brand it doesn't require an interface on the boiler.

If that goes south I can simply remove the original dumb thermostat from the drawer where it resides, pop some batteries in, and that links wirelessly with the boiler in seconds.

Thqts decent customer care with your Nest job though, not to he sniffed at by any means.


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## cyberknight (3 Dec 2021)

i cant see the point of them tbh, do they do anymore than that a standard one cant do thats useful?in my case theres usually someone at home.


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## MrGrumpy (3 Dec 2021)

cyberknight said:


> i cant see the point of them tbh, do they do anymore than that a standard one cant do thats useful?in my case theres usually someone at home.


Some advantages , you set the temp you want for when you get up. It works out how long it takes to get their over time, so tweaks that based on current temps in the house . Works out if nobody is at home and will switch into eco mode . Can adjust to different temps if you want at different times of the day. If you adjust the temp a few times it will remember that and program it in.
However on the whole , it does the same as any thermostat . Just you can do it all on the fly from your home . Boost the heating / hot water before coming home etc .


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## MrGrumpy (3 Dec 2021)

Drago said:


> Thqts decent customer care with your Nest job though, not to he sniffed at by any means.


to be fair they were really good on the phone . I just wasn’t expecting such swift service . But with minus temps outside the house was quickly chilling down !


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## Cletus Van Damme (6 Dec 2021)

I have a Nest Thermostat E. Have done for sometime, it can be a pain if you lose wifi, it's a bit temperamental to connect sometimes. To override this model manually you simply press the button on the heatlink and the boiler will start manually. I'ts the only smart device that I'm really interested in though. Mine only controls CH though. Might be different if it controls hot water too.


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## MrGrumpy (6 Dec 2021)

Cletus Van Damme said:


> I have a Nest Thermostat E. Have done for sometime, it can be a pain if you lose wifi, it's a bit temperamental to connect sometimes. To override this model manually you simply press the button on the heatlink and the boiler will start manually. I'ts the only smart device that I'm really interested in though. Mine only controls CH though. Might be different if it controls hot water too.


That’s assuming your heat link responds! Mine was dead ! Swapped for new one and all working again.


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## MrGrumpy (7 Dec 2021)

Joffey said:


> I’ll buy it for a tenner…


Thought about this £10 sounds a fair deal !!

£150 postage will cover it


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## Milkfloat (7 Dec 2021)

Now that the financial transaction is out the way, the thread can divert. 

I have a smart thermostat and have recently upgraded to smart thermostatic radiator valves. I work from home during the day and did not want to heat the whole house when I am only using one room. With the valves I am ale to heat just the room I am in, with a boost in the kitchen for lunch. The system is all programmed to give me heat in the rooms I use through a normal course of a week and anything extra on top I just ask Alexa to give me. The outlay was quite a lot but I am seeing lower bills and I am a lot more comfortable too. It may however take quite a few years for a full return on my investment and I am at the mercy of Hive (British Gas) to make sure it all runs well.


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## derrick (7 Dec 2021)

Just fitted a Hive Stat, love it, never know what time i will be home when we go out, so i can turn it on / off from the phone, Don't have to worry about heating a empty house.


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## MrGrumpy (7 Dec 2021)

Milkfloat said:


> Now that the financial transaction is out the way, the thread can divert.
> 
> I have a smart thermostat and have recently upgraded to smart thermostatic radiator valves. I work from home during the day and did not want to heat the whole house when I am only using one room. With the valves I am ale to heat just the room I am in, with a boost in the kitchen for lunch. The system is all programmed to give me heat in the rooms I use through a normal course of a week and anything extra on top I just ask Alexa to give me. The outlay was quite a lot but I am seeing lower bills and I am a lot more comfortable too. It may however take quite a few years for a full return on my investment and I am at the mercy of Hive (British Gas) to make sure it all runs well.


Wa thinking about valves as well but not sure I’d see the benefit. They are all turned down low upstairs anyway. What I was thinking was with the extra stat I now have , separating upstairs and downstairs radiators. ? Will need a heating engineer to assess for me .


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## Milkfloat (7 Dec 2021)

MrGrumpy said:


> Wa thinking about valves as well but not sure I’d see the benefit. They are all turned down low upstairs anyway. What I was thinking was with the extra stat I now have , separating upstairs and downstairs radiators. ? Will need a heating engineer to assess for me .


I thought about doing just that, but then figured it would probably cost more to get someone out to investigate and do the work and I would still be heating far more rooms than I needed. The valves were a doddle to fit and get working.


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## CXRAndy (8 Dec 2021)

If your house is well insulated, then keeping the house at a modestly constant temperature is better. Reduces condensation/humidity from letting rooms go too cold.


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## Oldhippy (8 Dec 2021)

I asked mine what capital of Turkey was. Never even answered. I don't have a smart meter.


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## Drago (8 Dec 2021)

Everyone knows its Athens.


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## gbb (23 Dec 2021)

derrick said:


> Just fitted a Hive Stat, love it, never know what time i will be home when we go out, so i can turn it on / off from the phone, Don't have to worry about heating a empty house.


Do you have the little box by the boiler green light to indicate on, plus boost buttons for heating snd water...as well as the main Hive stat ?
Ours (the hive stat) has been really good to the the heating on if its turned cold while we're out. Part of me thinks is that it ?...but as we dont generally have the heating on often, its really nice to come home to a warm house when you really need it.


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## derrick (23 Dec 2021)

gbb said:


> Do you have the little box by the boiler green light to indicate on, plus boost buttons for heating snd water...as well as the main Hive stat ?
> Ours (the hive stat) has been really good to the the heating on if its turned cold while we're out. Part of me thinks is that it ?...but as we dont generally have the heating on often, its really nice to come home to a warm house when you really need it.


Have a box next to the boiler. Had it a few weeks now. Best bit of kit I have bought this year.


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## ClichéGuevara (23 Dec 2021)

Just live in a mid terrace, and have families with young kids as neighbours on both sides. They turn their heating so high to make up for the cold walls next door, I have to open my windows.


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## CXRAndy (23 Dec 2021)

I once had a shop that was directly heated from the house next door. The landlord had split the building, but not the heating .


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## MichaelW2 (23 Dec 2021)

I have a dumb remote thermostat. My wife thinks that all boilers need to have built in timers. Is that still a feature?


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## gbb (24 Dec 2021)

MichaelW2 said:


> I have a dumb remote thermostat. My wife thinks that all boilers need to have built in timers. Is that still a feature?


Ours was originally that way, a Satchwell thermostat....and that was it. The joys of a simpler life in some ways, all this tech is great, until it goes wrong or you try to re programme it...gahhhhh


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## derrick (24 Dec 2021)

MichaelW2 said:


> I have a dumb remote thermostat. My wife thinks that all boilers need to have built in timers. Is that still a feature?


Hive all done on the phone app.


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