Smart heating

Seng

Any advice would be gratefully received before I shell out around 450-500 on Smart Heating.
I am considering getting Hive including 4 smart TRVs which I think we would need.

Last year we used 23000kwh in Gas which I am very keen to reduce and feel smart heating may assist that. There seems to be a reasonable amount of scepticism about the savings they can offer but think the increase in prices that are due in October would mean that the system could pay for itself quite quickly.

We live in a 3 bedroom house (only 2 are slept in) that is around 80 years old. The rooms are all quite large so does require a reasonably amount of heating.

We spend the majority of our time in the back living room which is extremely large as we have knocked through to our kitchen.

We also have a snug which we would only generally sit in after 7.30pm for a couple of hours once our 4 year old is asleep.

I am thinking that if we setup our system so that we only heated the 2 bedrooms and snug 30 mins before we use them then mainly only had the heating on when needed in the main large room this would produce considerable savings. At present we are heating the whole house everytime we wanted the heating on when sat in the back room which is surely costing a fortune?

JohnPo

Welcome to the forum, you pose an interesting question with a possible ready made solution.

You will see different opinions on here - but it helps to understand a little more about your current setup. It also helps to optimize what you currently have first and sometimes have robust discussions about not touching settings on things with the rest of the household. My better half still doesn't get it that Thermostatic Radiator Valves only needs adjusting up/down a little bit and not turning right up to full if the room in question is just a tad cold.

So if you already TVRs have you tried adjusting them? where is your main thermostat for the central heating, is it actually anywhere helpful? have you looked at the time-clock settings and have you checked the boiler flow temperature by possibly reducing it to ensure it is running in condensing mode (that assumes a modern boiler etc.). 

Some or most of the savings that 'smart heating controls' claim to deliver can be achieved by carefully monitoring / managing current devices. It may be that bits of your current kit are broken or for example the main thermostat is just in wrong place in which case an investment is required, that makes the decision in shelling out £500.00 easier, what I would look out for however is any ongoing monthly fee (that comes off any potential savings).

BUFF

what is your existing heating system (boiler make/model?) & controls (programmer, room 'stat, TRVs etc.)?

Btw there are varying definitions of what Smart Heating is. Also, Hive whilst no doubt convenient isn't one of the best rated systems from an efficiency pov.

[Deleted User]

How long have you got? Turning off heating in unused rooms sounds like a great idea but it has the potential to leave you with condensation; damp and mould. Water vapour in the home will always seek out the coldest surfaces. If want convenience then go smart but, quite frankly, standard TRVs will do what you want at a fraction of the cost.

To put the quoted manufacturer’s self-certified savings claims into context, my Tado controller made the following claim last month: 

My savings without Tado would also have been 100% as the heating is turned off!   Clearly, if I was paying for Auto-Assist my savings would have been even greater.

If you are using 23000kWh a year, then your problem is a lack of insulation not a lack of control.

Alnat1

If the big kitchen/living room has been heated all day, why not stay in there after 7.30? Then no need to heat the snug at all. Set heating to go off an hour before you go to bed and on half hour before you get up.

Smart heating controls work well for those who don't have a set routine and are in and out of the house at different times each day. If your family has a more set pattern, cheaper TRVs and temperature controls would work just as well.

Simple things can cut costs like having thick or lined curtains that are all closed at dusk, closing doors between rooms, very low (or no) heat in unused rooms, max temperature of 18C and blankets/throws to snuggle under in the evening.

[Deleted User]

Further evidence if needed. Just read the abstract:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378778821008562

QrizB

Dolor said:

Further evidence if needed. Just read the abstract:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378778821008562

Very interesting, thank you for the link!

mysteryUser

This doesn't help answer the question if it is financially sensible but I have Drayton Wiser smart heating and love it. May be worth comparing to the hive stuff. 

I find most smart TRVs use batteries at an annoying rate... So you will save on gas but spend on silly disposable batteries. 

JohnPo

QrizB said:

Dolor said:

Further evidence if needed. Just read the abstract:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378778821008562

Very interesting, thank you for the link!

Did I read the summary correctly? a 3.5% saving only?  how does that translate to a return on investment?

gazapc

JohnPo said:

QrizB said:

Dolor said:

Further evidence if needed. Just read the abstract:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378778821008562

Very interesting, thank you for the link!

Did I read the summary correctly? a 3.5% saving only?  how does that translate to a return on investment?

Avergage gas usage is about 12,000 kWh per year.

3.5% = 420 kWh

So at 'old' kWh prices of 3.5p you might save £15 a year, or at this winter's expected price of 15p you might save £60.

BUFF

Dolor said:

Further evidence if needed. Just read the abstract:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378778821008562

pretty much confirms my thinking on smart TRVs v conventional.  I have bought (on deals) a couple of different smart TRV heads to run over the coming winter but definitely more geekish curiosity rather than expecting them to pay for themselves with savings.