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Hive 2 vs Nest 3rd Generation
One of the latest trends in heating installations is remote thermostats, which allows us to control - the heating in our lounge from the comfort of the office or even a standstill on the M6! Most remote thermostats will set you back around £250 including the installation, and in the last 12 months Scott has seen a huge uptake in the number of remote thermostats he has installed.
The two most high profile products currently on the market are the Nest, owned by Google and the Hive, owned by British Gas. The latest version of the Nest is the 3rd Generation and the latest version of the Hive is, Hive 2. Previously because of Hive’s ability to run off battery power and to control the hot water tank, which the Nest could not, Scott would have been more inclined to recommend the Hive however the latest version of the Nest is more and more appealing....
Key advantages of the Nest:
This new generation can now control the hot water tank, whereas the earlier version could not
Nest can be placed on a stand as well as the wall - which may be more appealing
Sensors in the thermostat tell it when you’re out, so even if it’s scheduled on time the heating is turned down - this is known as it’s learning ability.
Nest has it’s own ecosystem that other devices including fire alarms and even a new security camera called “Nest cam” can hook into. Many of these add on devices may only be available in the US at the moment but given that it is a google product this is likely to grow and grow and it won’t be long until they hit the UK.
Runs off mains power no battery power
Key advantages of the Hive:
Can run off AA batteries, giving it much more versatility in terms of where you locate it
Hive also has a number of accessories including
All versions can control the hot water tank - and this is proven to work well
Hive 2 does not have sensor but it has a gelocation app that works in a similar way
Based on the Nest’s rapidly growing ecosystem then for Android fans especially this is probably the one to go for - providing you have a good spot near to a mains supply to locate this. If however you are less fussed about the extra modcons then for greater versatility the Hive is also well worth considering. Both options though will mean you never need come home to a cold house or face a huge energy bill because you forgot to turn the heating down when you jetted off on holiday!
If you would like to chat to Scott about installing a remote thermostat just give us a call on 07809133173