Hive Heating Plus subscription

FreeBear

matt_drummer said:

FreeBear said:

Ah, but if you know how long the flame is on, and the modulation level, you can do some rough calculations to get a reasonable estimate.

How would you get this information?

Most modern boilers have an interface to communicate with the thermostat (EMS for WB, eBus for Vaillant, OpenTherm for most of the others). Using this interface, it is a relatively simple task to check if the flame in on or off and to query the modulation level. Some boilers even keep track of the length of time the flame is alight.

ChasingtheWelshdream

An old thread indeed but I'm still here. :-)

No, I didn't subscribe as it didn't seem worth it. I had lots of issues with Hive itself whereby it was constantly disconnecting and the app/thermostat/hub not talking to each other, meaning the heating wasn't reliably turning on when it should, or continuing to be blasting away when it should be off. I ended up having to simply use the Hive mini in stand-alone mode - ie a basic on/off thermostat in the end which was very disappointing. I may try again this year when we put the heating on.

We tried to get smart meters installed but the engineer couldn't fit them so we've just carried on with monthly meter readings.

cannugec5

matelodave said:

Get a smart meter and, with a programme like Bright, you can see you how much you are using in half hour bites and you can get pretty graphs.

I can’t have a smart meter! 

Well, actually we have one but it’s dumb and has been since installation and nobody has any interest in getting our wee village connected! 

That’s why I’m looking at alternatives. 

matt_drummer

cannugec5 said:

matelodave said:

Get a smart meter and, with a programme like Bright, you can see you how much you are using in half hour bites and you can get pretty graphs.

I can’t have a smart meter! 

Well, actually we have one but it’s dumb and has been since installation and nobody has any interest in getting our wee village connected! 

That’s why I’m looking at alternatives. 

Look at your heat pump controls!

cannugec5

ChasingtheWelshdream said:

An old thread indeed but I'm still here. :-)

No, I didn't subscribe as it didn't seem worth it. I had lots of issues with Hive itself whereby it was constantly disconnecting and the app/thermostat/hub not talking to each other, meaning the heating wasn't reliably turning on when it should, or continuing to be blasting away when it should be off. I ended up having to simply use the Hive mini in stand-alone mode - ie a basic on/off thermostat in the end which was very disappointing. I may try again this year when we put the heating on.

We tried to get smart meters installed but the engineer couldn't fit them so we've just carried on with monthly meter readings.

That is very interesting. I won’t rush into anything then, but wait to see if the Hive actually works beyond the first few weeks ! 

I will continue with monthly reads anyway, but when I saw the daily graph thought it would be good to keep. Oh well! 

cannugec5

matt_drummer said:

Look at your heat pump controls!

I have! 

I’ve looked ( with trepidation) at the controller. I’ve read the manual supplied and I’ve searched online. 

Nowhere have I discovered where I can find usage data. I’m guessing it’s in there somewhere but doesn’t seem to be listed  as accessible to the homeowner. 

I note there are three levels of access - homeowner, installer and manufacturer. 

Currently my Hive tells me that since midnight my heating has been on for one hour and 40 minutes. I’d like to compare that with another Monday in another week. But the Hive ( without subscription) only keeps today and yesterdays data accessible. 

matt_drummer

cannugec5 said:

I have! 

I’ve looked ( with trepidation) at the controller. I’ve read the manual supplied and I’ve searched online. 

Nowhere have I discovered where I can find usage data. I’m guessing it’s in there somewhere but doesn’t seem to be listed  as accessible to the homeowner. 

I note there are three levels of access - homeowner, installer and manufacturer. 

Currently my Hive tells me that since midnight my heating has been on for one hour and 40 minutes. I’d like to compare that with another Monday in another week. But the Hive ( without subscription) only keeps today and yesterdays data accessible. 

That information is of little use with a heat pump.

You need to know how much electricity it has used to really know what is going on.

Ideally you want to know the heat produced.

Then you can monitor your COP.

Can't you installer help you?

MY Daikin heat pump has this information readily available.

It is not quite as granular as I would like so I am going to fit an external monitoring system so I have more detailed information.

I already fitted a CT clamp monitor to my heat pump supply cable just to see how much it really uses.

It wasn't expensive and was really easy to fit.

The heat meter and electricity meters I have are a lot more expensive and complicated to fit so you may not want to do that.

But I am sure your controller must have this data in it somewhere.

You are never going to get what you need from HIVE thermostats.

cannugec5

matt_drummer said:

That information is of little use with a heat pump.

You need to know how much electricity it has used to really know what is going on.

Ideally you want to know the heat produced.

Then you can monitor your COP.

Can't you installer help you?

MY Daikin heat pump has this information readily available.

It is not quite as granular as I would like so I am going to fit an external monitoring system so I have more detailed information.

I already fitted a CT clamp monitor to my heat pump supply cable just to see how much it really uses.

It wasn't expensive and was really easy to fit.

The heat meter and electricity meters I have are a lot more expensive and complicated to fit so you may not want to do that.

But I am sure your controller must have this data in it somewhere.

You are never going to get what you need from HIVE thermostats.

Quite possibly. 

We have further work for him soon so I will ask while he is here. 

He is really busy and to be honest I don’t like taking up his time if I can find solutions elsewhere. I have always been told that I ask too many questions ( in all aspects of life). Some people find that challenging and I get that most people want a system that works and don’t give a stuff about the details - and that includes my husband ! 

I guess I will just stick with my monthly ( or perhaps weekly) meter reads. That in itself will be so much easier next year when I will no longer need a ladder to see the meter! 

matt_drummer

cannugec5 said:

matt_drummer said:

That information is of little use with a heat pump.

You need to know how much electricity it has used to really know what is going on.

Ideally you want to know the heat produced.

Then you can monitor your COP.

Can't you installer help you?

MY Daikin heat pump has this information readily available.

It is not quite as granular as I would like so I am going to fit an external monitoring system so I have more detailed information.

I already fitted a CT clamp monitor to my heat pump supply cable just to see how much it really uses.

It wasn't expensive and was really easy to fit.

The heat meter and electricity meters I have are a lot more expensive and complicated to fit so you may not want to do that.

But I am sure your controller must have this data in it somewhere.

You are never going to get what you need from HIVE thermostats.

Quite possibly. 

We have further work for him soon so I will ask while he is here. 

He is really busy and to be honest I don’t like taking up his time if I can find solutions elsewhere. I have always been told that I ask too many questions ( in all aspects of life). Some people find that challenging and I get that most people want a system that works and don’t give a stuff about the details - and that includes my husband ! 

I guess I will just stick with my monthly ( or perhaps weekly) meter reads. That in itself will be so much easier next year when I will no longer need a ladder to see the meter! 

I have no idea what you spent and don't want to know, but whatever it was you deserve and are entitled to some support.

Your heat pump, through its controller, is your best, and probably only, source of the data you need.

You really will need to know what is going on, you are not asking too many questions, this is stuff you  need to know an is essential in running your heat pump effectively

cannugec5

matt_drummer said:

cannugec5 said:

matt_drummer said:

That information is of little use with a heat pump.

You need to know how much electricity it has used to really know what is going on.

Ideally you want to know the heat produced.

Then you can monitor your COP.

Can't you installer help you?

MY Daikin heat pump has this information readily available.

It is not quite as granular as I would like so I am going to fit an external monitoring system so I have more detailed information.

I already fitted a CT clamp monitor to my heat pump supply cable just to see how much it really uses.

It wasn't expensive and was really easy to fit.

The heat meter and electricity meters I have are a lot more expensive and complicated to fit so you may not want to do that.

But I am sure your controller must have this data in it somewhere.

You are never going to get what you need from HIVE thermostats.

Quite possibly. 

We have further work for him soon so I will ask while he is here. 

He is really busy and to be honest I don’t like taking up his time if I can find solutions elsewhere. I have always been told that I ask too many questions ( in all aspects of life). Some people find that challenging and I get that most people want a system that works and don’t give a stuff about the details - and that includes my husband ! 

I guess I will just stick with my monthly ( or perhaps weekly) meter reads. That in itself will be so much easier next year when I will no longer need a ladder to see the meter! 

I have no idea what you spent and don't want to know, but whatever it was you deserve and are entitled to some support.

Your heat pump, through its controller, is your best, and probably only, source of the data you need.

You really will need to know what is going on, you are not asking too many questions, this is stuff you  need to know an is essential in running your heat pump effectively

I hear you. 

But remember the Hive thermostats and Hive Hub were a part of the installation! 

I will, though seek more information and guidance from the installer.