Affordable Smart Heating Options for the 2019 Winter
Anybody else starting to crank up the heating? It’s getting colder, which means there has never been a better time to invest in affordable smart heating options for the upcoming winter.
Smart heating may have an upfront cost tied to it, but it will help you to get more comfortable temperatures and, most importantly, save more money over the life of your heating. Surprisingly, that initial upfront cost really isn’t that much anymore either. Here is a look at the best options available in the UK. Remember, all of these options are available for up to 12% off through Techscheme too - more about that at the end.
HIVE Active Heating
For £165, you can get your hands on the HIVE active heating thermostat. One of the cheaper alternatives in the market mostly dominated by Nest. HIVE allows you to control your home heating from your smartphone, and you're able to set up custom programs to better automate temperatures.
You can schedule up to six heating events per day, which could include things like automatically switching on your heating a few moments before your expected arrival home from work. Or maybe automatically switching your heating off fifteen minutes after your bedtime. That way, you can improve your comfort and ensure your heating isn't on when it shouldn't be.
HIVE also features frost protection. With this, your temperature is maintained at a safe level during those particularly frosty months. The thermostat ensures your pipes stay at least 7 degrees, but you can choose your own custom setting here too.
The HIVE app also features geolocation tracking, so if you leave your home with the heating turned on, you'll be notified in the app. You can also get notified when you're coming home out of your normal schedule where you may not have a profile set to turn on your heating.
The HIVE Active Heating thermostat is certainly more hands-on than the Nest learning thermostat, which we’ll get into in a moment, but some people may prefer tweaking and tinkering with their profiles and schedules.
HIVE Active Heating & Hot Water Kit
You can upgrade to include the hot water kit, and get a Google Home Mini for an extra £63.99. It’s great value when you consider the Home Mini retails for £49. This kit is for those that have a separate hot water tank.
Essentially, the app will let you control your hot water remotely, or set up schedules so that you can ensure you actually get hot water for your shower or bath. Once you have set up schedules that suit your family's routine, you can also add boosts that give you an hour of heating outside of your normal schedule.
With the Google Home Mini bundled in, you can set schedules, edit schedules, and activate the boost schedule without touching your phone. Of course, all of the features we mentioned in the £165 kit are also included in the HIVE Active Heating and hot water kit.
NEST Learning Thermostat 3rd Gen
The Nest Learning Thermostat is perfect for those that want to get things connected and let everything run automatically in the background. In that sense, it's smarter than most of the competition. Here's how it works. You turn on auto-schedule, and then you use the Nest Learning Thermostat like you would your non-smart thermostat. For two days, manually adjust your temperature to levels that suit you.
After two days, Nest will learn your patterns and do everything for you automatically. At any time you can make manual adjustments past that auto-schedule and Nest will continue to learn based on any adjustments. The thermostat will be more sensitive to changes in the first week. After that, auto-schedule changes are more subtle if you attempt to make manual changes.
For example, if after one week, you manually up the temperature at a time that’s unusual, the auto-schedule won’t be adjusted at all. But if you then start to manually up the temperature at that time multiple days in a row, it will adjust to your schedule change.
Usually, after two weeks, the schedule will be perfectly in tune with your lifestyle. However, you can still set up remote control changes and schedules with your smartphone. With Nest Home Report, you can also keep track of how much energy you’re using and you’ll be offered tips on how you can save.
NEST Thermostat E
For roughly the same price, the Nest Thermostat E proves to be a different option for people looking for a different product. With the Nest E Thermostat, you can set up a schedule, and then the temperature will be adjusted to that schedule. At any time, you can manually make adjustments through the Nest app or through Google Home.
The Nest Thermostat E really is just there for those that aren’t too fond of the auto-schedule idea from Nest. It’s perfect for those that already know the perfect schedule for their heating, but they are just looking for an easier option to manage it.
The Nest E Thermostat will also turn down your heating when nobody is home, and you can adjust the heating remotely so your home is nice and toasty before you arrive home at unscheduled times.
Summary & Pricing
That brings us to the end of our overview of the most affordable smart heating options for the upcoming UK winter. Which option takes your fancy? Take a look at the pricing table below for details on each product’s price and also how much you could save through Techscheme.
Model | RRP | Savings | Techscheme Price |
HIVE Active Heating | £165 | £19.80 | £145.20 |
NEST Learning Thermostat 3rd Gen | £199 | £23.88 | £175.12 |
NEST E Thermostat | £192 | £23.04 | £168.96 |
HIVE Active Heating & Hot Water Kit | £229 | £27.48 | £201.51 |
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