Nest? Hive? Anything else?

[Blue Duck]

Tired of turning the heating on & off...

The timer is odd it seems to loose several hours a week and the Drayton  wireless stat that fell out the back of my mates van is no longer vorking...

So can anyone recommend a decent wireless stat? 

Not sure about IOT devices but the Mrs has a habit of leaving stuff on so it would be handy to be able to control the heating from work.

:lol:

Boiler is valiant ecotec pro28 

 

[binky]

simple stat works best, IoT is nice but unneccesary in my opinion. Programme a sat properly and you won't need to turn it on and off from work. I also don't see any real need to turn heating off when on holiday, I have an old victorian house, it needs to be kept aired or I pay out in damp repairs. Modern houses are so well insulated, that they will turn off at the stat and use little fuel, so unless you are away for months, I don't see much energy saving there either. The only places I would think IoT is worth having is holiday homes, or similar frequently unoccupied property.

 

[Geoff1946]

simple stat works best, IoT is nice but unneccesary in my opinion. Programme a sat properly and you won't need to turn it on and off from work. I also don't see any real need to turn heating off when on holiday, I have an old victorian house, it needs to be kept aired or I pay out in damp repairs. Modern houses are so well insulated, that they will turn off at the stat and use little fuel, so unless you are away for months, I don't see much energy saving there either. The only places I would think IoT is worth having is holiday homes, or similar frequently unoccupied property.

Those are my conclusions too. I updated my, (quite old),  bungalow on moving in three years ago, using decent quality TRVs throughout and a programmable 'stat. I went for a wired 'stat  because I had the idea that all my settings would be lost on changing the batteries on a wireless; not sure if that's true but I didn't want to find out the hard way.

If you really want remote I notice from the latest Screwfix/Plumbfix flyer that Honeywell offer an "Evohome" thermostat at about £90 for the 'stat and £50 for the wireless bit. I've  found Honeywell gear reliable in the past. 

 

[Doc Hudson]

and the Drayton  wireless stat that fell out the back of my mates van is no longer vorking...

So can anyone recommend a decent wireless stat? 

I would never install a wireless stat by my own choice, as your comment that the existing wireless stat is no longer working tends to illustrate the norm where wireless devices fail much earlier than wired devices. From my experience, for greater reliability and longevity a wired connection pays dividends over time, which outweighs the quick and easy installation of the wireless equivalent. So to answer your question, no, I cant recommend any decent wireless stat. 

Doc H.

 

[brummydave]

Do you want it to control hot water as well as heating? Just googled the ecotec pro and it's a combi!

For highest efficiency, i'd go for the vaillant vSmart as it'll communicate best with your boiler.

Other internet connected stats that i'd recommend are Honeywell Lyric T6 and Evohome, and the new Drayton Wiser.

The only 'smart' stat i've found is the Nest - it's great but might not be what you want.

Wireless stats which aren't internet connected but i've had no problems with are Honeywell CM900 series, RF Packs, Danfoss, and ESi.

 

[Blue Duck]

Thanks for your input gentlemen!

I'm still considering what is best... wireless: you don't have to run wires! But as the Doc mentions can be prone to "problems" , but the drayton one I had literally fell off my mates van.

I have to run a new circuit for a washer dryer so running another cable  for a stat shouldn't be too much of an issue! 

IOT? I guess I'm trying to save money by spending money, I like the idea of being able to control the heating remotely as it does get left on or off and I get home and it's bloody freezing or baking hot and would like to be rid of that problem. 

I've ruled out hive as they are part of BG who when I lived in a studio flat with storage heaters kept sending me bills, I vowed not to use any of their products or services again ,same with virgin media asshats!

 wireless/ IOT : nest or Vsmart? 

Wired??

I seem to remember Honeywell aren't that user friendly but Danfoss are? 

What cable 4c+e? 

Thanks again! 

I'm gonna have a look in the local merchants for more options! 

 

[Murdoch]

Why not sensibly consider a system which you can use remotely?

I installed the Salus IT 500 4 years ago and its worked really well. I've also installed it for a few customers ............. its handy being able to adjust the heating from your phone or ipad - either from the sofa or while at work!

 

[Evans Electric]

What you need Duck , is to stay at home in the winter and control your work from your phone .

 

[brummydave]

Thanks for your input gentlemen!

I'm still considering what is best... wireless: you don't have to run wires! But as the Doc mentions can be prone to "problems" , but the drayton one I had literally fell off my mates van.

I have to run a new circuit for a washer dryer so running another cable  for a stat shouldn't be too much of an issue! 

IOT? I guess I'm trying to save money by spending money, I like the idea of being able to control the heating remotely as it does get left on or off and I get home and it's bloody freezing or baking hot and would like to be rid of that problem. 

I've ruled out hive as they are part of BG who when I lived in a studio flat with storage heaters kept sending me bills, I vowed not to use any of their products or services again ,same with virgin media asshats!

 wireless/ IOT : nest or Vsmart? 

Wired??

I seem to remember Honeywell aren't that user friendly but Danfoss are? 

What cable 4c+e? 

Thanks again! 

I'm gonna have a look in the local merchants for more options! 

I find Honeywell very user friendly - especially the LoT (line of text) devices that have whole words to help! Their manuals are comprehensive too. I've fitted a lot of their wireless and wired devices.

Wireless has the advantage of being able to move the stat to the room you're in rather than leaving it in the coldest place (usually hallway). I've also found no more probs / reliability issues with wired or not.

Nest is one of the true 'smart' options out there - it actually learns and schedules for you after some initial setting up.

Vsmart, i've not used but know it'll control your vaillant boiler best.

Lightwave RF is another connected option I forgot to mention before. It really depends how much seamless connected stuff you have in your house?

Dunno about you but I often find merchants to either be behind the times / ignorant of product functions, or to have a preferred manufacturer they push even if it's not the ideal system for you....

 

[happysteve]

I know a sample size of one isn't much help, but we have a Honeywell wireless stat that works very nicely with our combi (by chance, same model as you). If we're away for a while I just flick the mode switch down to "off" (actually 5ºC). If one of us is in during the day rather than out, then we just manually put up the required temperature as a one-off. It does not forget its settings when you change the batteries (which we've had to do once in the 7 years we've been here). Says, "CM67NG" on it. Just have to remember to put the clock forward/back an hour in spring/autumn. All good.