Smart Thermostats

strawberryberry

As I am getting a new combi boiler I would like a  smart meter - was thinking hive as that seems to be the most popular. The more I read the more confused ( especially when it comes to the alexa bit )  so a bit of help  please. I really just want to be able to turn the heat on from my phone as work patterns  differ enormously. At the moment ive got an old wired in thermostat in the hall -  can I have the hive wired into the cable that is already there ? I dont need to move the thermostat round to different rooms and it would save having a hole in the wall when the old themostat is removed thought I could make use of the wires since they are already there.  Otherwise it means plugging into a socket  or changing batteries on the hive thermostat which seems like a backward move. 
 Once you've paid for the hive is that it ? I googled this and monthly plans came up is this ontop of the price on the set?
Some plumbers Ive had round for quotes on a new boiler seem reluctant  to fit a smart meter - they say more to go wrong and cant understand why I want one  -    so I am not 100%  sure on their advice about the best system or fitting,   so would I be best to get the boiler fitted with basic controls by the plumber  and then smart meter fitted separate as an add on by the supplier.Any  helpful suggestions gratefully received . Thank you

Takmon

strawberryberry said:

As I am getting a new combi boiler I would like a  smart meter - was thinking hive as that seems to be the most popular. The more I read the more confused ( especially when it comes to the alexa bit )  so a bit of help  please. I really just want to be able to turn the heat on from my phone as work patterns  differ enormously. At the moment ive got an old wired in thermostat in the hall -  can I have the hive wired into the cable that is already there ? I dont need to move the thermostat round to different rooms and it would save having a hole in the wall when the old themostat is removed thought I could make use of the wires since they are already there.  Otherwise it means plugging into a socket  or changing batteries on the hive thermostat which seems like a backward move. 
 Once you've paid for the hive is that it ? I googled this and monthly plans came up is this ontop of the price on the set?
Some plumbers Ive had round for quotes on a new boiler seem reluctant  to fit a smart meter - they say more to go wrong and cant understand why I want one  -    so I am not 100%  sure on their advice about the best system or fitting,   so would I be best to get the boiler fitted with basic controls by the plumber  and then smart meter fitted separate as an add on by the supplier.Any  helpful suggestions gratefully received . Thank you

What you are after is a "Smart Thermostat" and not a "Smart Meter" they are two very different things and you may cause confusion if you use the wrong terminology when making inquiries. 

I have the NEST and would recommend it over the Hive because it works very well and learns what temperature you like and doesn't heat the home when your out which sounds like what you want. It has a phone App that you can use to control it manually and can be integrated with Alexa, Google Home, IFTTT etc very easily. I fitted mine myself and used the existing wiring but had to do some re-wiring on the boiler end, it's pretty simple if you can understand wiring diagrams if not then a professional will have no trouble at all fitting one. Your best bet is to just get them to fit it while the new boiler is being because it won't take any extra work.

Dazz285_2

Looking at 2 companies' devices. 1. Tado & 2. Honeywell Evohome
I've been told that the Tado system can be very buggy so looking for some help?
Thanks