Why is the Hive so popular?

[Ltnman]

Looking at all the questions here the Hive seems to be a product of choice except it can’t modulate any boiler. Please correct me if I am wrong but its principle function is to switch the boiler on and off at defined times with preset temperatures that can be controlled via a smart phone but it does not adjust the output of the boiler.

Are the general public and boiler installers not interested in efficiency or is a modulating boiler all hype with no real savings?

 

[blup]

No idea why so popular, the weather forecast and a honeywell timer with three hour boost covers most situations.

Blup

 

[JohnD]

Why is the Hive so popular?​

Successful advertising.

 

[RandomGrinch]

Ignoring the power of the Centrica/British Gas monopoly and their big advertising budget...

I am not a gas pro, but answering electrical questions on here, leads me to a couple of thoughts.

Due to the British Gas heritage, Hive is a straightforward swap into many existing back plates.

The modulating question is interesting.
If an old boiler is exchanged for a new modulating boiler, often the existing controls are left in place.
If a DIY'er wants to upgrade their thermostat to a smart 'stat for their new boiler, they can be left with a straightforward swap of an on/off stat, or a call out to a gas engineer to install new OpenTherm wiring, possibly disturbing the room sealing of the boiler.

We also see threads on here from new builds that have modulating boilers, but only on/off 'stats have been installed.

...however, it's worth noting that the algorithms used by smart 'stats are such, that calling them 'on/off', is a bit of an injustice!

 

[bernardgreen]

Successful advertising.

which is some cases is unethical.

 

[stem]

It's one of the easier ones to install. It fits straight onto the industry standard back plate used by the majority of existing programmers and so the wiring doesn't change. (other than bypassing any existing room thermostat) Some other makes [eg Nest & Tado] require some rewiring of the existing controls.

 

[gas112]

emperors new clothes syndrome

 

[dilalio]

Swarm behaviour.

 

[gas112]

Swarm behaviour.

gives people a buzz spending money

 

[dilalio]

gives people a buzz spending money

Nectar points?

 

[stem]

Looks sweet.

 

[RandomGrinch]

gives people a buzz spending money

Sounds like you've been stung before.

 

[gas112]

Sounds like you've been stung before.

you could bee right

 

[Mottie]

I’m happy enough with mine. Compared to what I changed it with, Honeywell DT90E and Honeywell ST9400c, it can be programmed to come on at set temperatures instead of just set times, I can turn it up or down without getting out of my chair by using my phone or my Alexa and of course, it can be switched on/off up/down when I’m not in. As all the programming is done on the room stat, programming and giving the heating a 'boost' now and then can be done from the comfort of my armchair instead of having to go out in the hall and fiddle about in the airing cupboard where the old programmer was. I already had the hive hub for our lights and I bought my kit - hive thermostat and dual channel receiver - secondhand for £25 off of eBay.
Oh, yeah. Another thing I've just remembered. You can either set the heating to come on at a certain time and heat up to your set temperature or you can have it reach your set temperature at a certain time. In that case, it works out what time to come on to be at that temperature. Self learns, I think. Mrs Mottie gets up three days a week at 6.00am so I have it set to come on at 5.30. If I had it set to be at 21 degrees at 6.00, it would probably come on at 5.00ish but as it hasn't quite reached 21 by 6.00 I don't bother with that as its plenty warm enough.

I think you can set it to geofencing so that when your phone leaves a certain area from your home it switches off and when you are on the way home and enter a set distance away, it automatically switches on but I've never bothered with that.

My mum has a hive and as she sometimes spends half the day in her bedroom and the other half in the lounge, she takes her hive room stat into the room she is occupying to set the temperature for that room.

Modulating boilers: My boiler (Vaillant Ecotec pro) modulates all by itself. It did with the old controls and it does with hive.

 

[vulcancontinental]

Looking at all the questions here the Hive seems to be a product of choice except it can’t modulate any boiler. Please correct me if I am wrong but its principle function is to switch the boiler on and off at defined times with preset temperatures that can be controlled via a smart phone but it does not adjust the output of the boiler.

Are the general public and boiler installers not interested in efficiency or is a modulating boiler all hype with no real savings?

There is a saving with a modulating boiler but it's just one of many little improvements in the thing that actually costs you money when operating, the boiler itself. Just as a control that will modulate the boiler temperature will save you money so will a boiler with a soft graduated start-up and range rating to the minimum output if required and soft start from a range rated output. All small 0.5 or 1 or 2% improvements to a boiler that is already developed to the maximum efficiency possible for the type of appliance.

The reason Hive sells so many is marketing, it looks OK and it works as best it can given it's limitations which the public generally have little idea of.