Tado, Nest, Honeywell, Hive, Drayton - what to choose

[SJRSJR]

So the installer has said I’m good to go with adding an indirect unvented hot water cylinder to the combi boiler and has asked what brand of control do I want.

Three floors, 18 radiators. The pipe layout makes for one zone downstairs and the other two floors on a second. The back of the house downstairs doesn’t see much sun/light. Once I’ve recovered from the cost of this, at some point down the line I’d like to start adding some smart TRVs. I’d like a decent app for controls .

Here’s my research:
Tado X - I like the look of the TRVs but see they recently introduced a subscription - who knows where that will lead.
Nest 4th Gen - I like the look of the thermostat /app but wonder if Google is in it for the long haul - they’ve withdrawn from 1st & 2nd Gen and are offering discounts to switch to Tado
Hive - seems popular but don’t know if it’s best option
Honeywell Evohome - seems future proof but clunky
Drayton - solid but unsophisticated.

The installer asked Hive or Nest - are they the main ones or likely what he’s most familiar with?

Would be grateful for any user opinions and what’s best for my set up. Thanks.

PS The boiler is Ideal Atlantic which I believe is Open Therm compatible.

 

[SJRSJR]

Commenting on my own question here:

Don't know if Chat GPT knows best but it's recommending Heatmiser Open Therm bundle for superior boiler modulation and system optimisation, but as an alternative Drayton Wiser 3 channel kit as an excellent compromise and best for adding smart TRVs down the line.

This is even more complicated than I thought!

 

[denso13]

We have a Hive, nothing overly complicated, it works just fine.

 

[SJRSJR]

Thanks. I was moving away from that as it's not Open Therm - my understanding is that without OT the boiler is on/off, like stop/start in traffic jams whereas OT allows slow steady movement of traffic/boiler modulation. But what do I know!

 

[denso13]

I was moving away from that as it's not Open Therm

Mine is, the latest versions have OpenTherm capability.

 

[SJRSJR]

Thanks. I’ve somehow gone down a rabbit hole and also got stuck in the headlights.

Apparently Open Therm is at odds with the high temperature needed for an indirect cylinder - Legionnaire’s consideration.

Do you have an indirect cylinder on yours?

 

[denso13]

No cylinder, just rads with manual TRV's.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Thanks. I was moving away from that as it's not Open Therm - my understanding is that without OT the boiler is on/off, like stop/start in traffic jams whereas OT allows slow steady movement of traffic/boiler modulation. But what do I know!

I have Vaillant, with the fancy Vaillant controls. The big advantage is that they are designed to understand each other, and work well together. The controls, fine tune the boiler output, to perfectly match the demand, for heat. No over shoot, no undershoot. I find manual TRV's perfectly adequate.

My heat only boiler, treats the CH and HW cylinder heating, one at a time - outputting what ever temperature is needed for the CH, but when it comes to heating the cylinder, I have that pre-set to aim to output at 70C, so it can get the cylinder to 60C.

 

[SJRSJR]

Thanks for the replies. I’ve since read that Open Therm would be overridden when it comes to maintaining the hot water temperature in the cylinder.

All of this is beyond me. I’m drawn to Wiser because it’s 3 channel (2 zones and HW) it still seems to work in the app when the internet is down (Zigbee?), you can add smart TRVs later and it’s not got a subscription element (Tado).

AI says Hive is better for simple one zone set ups without a heat imbalance between front and back of the house like mine. But it’s a popular brand and I can’t be the only one with similar needs.