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In the middle of a UK cold snap and see the central heating taking all of your money from your account? You probably turn the heating on too early or too late and heat the empty rooms. A smart thermostat can make your home warmer for less.

Will a Nest or Hive smart thermostat save me money?

Yes, though how much you will save depends on the system, the level of control it's given and how often you use your current heating system. The USP of a smart thermostat is like Santa Claus: he knows when you are sleeping and when you are awake, so no money is wasted on unnecessarily heating your home. They also tend to know when and when to be home. As you probably know, you usually don't need to heat your home when you're away and not coming back for hours, and even the smartest smart thermostats can take the weather into account so it's not too hot or too cold in a hot time, especially in a cold moment.

The three systems work slightly differently. Nest learns your daily and weekly routines, and has a room sensor so you can study when you are not around. Hive prefers to track you based on your phone's location. The different apps are all connected with IFTTT (This is So This) so you can create your own custom events. With the accompanying smartphone apps, you can intelligently change settings or make the work of the house difficult when you return home from work. Whether or not you actually save a lot of money depends largely on how you approached central heating beforehand: if you're the type who only turns the heater on when icicles are hanging on your ears, you benefit less.

Regardless of your type, consider this a long-term investment: the average single family home will offset the investment in about two years, with Nest realizing savings of 10% to 12% on heating bills or Hives forecasting up to £ 130 per year. and energy costs are likely to rise in the foreseeable future, an annual saving of 10% will increase significantly over time.

Which of the these is best for saving?

The average house will save more on average with Nest but the margin is very close.

How much does a Nest or Hive smart thermostat cost?

There are two costs to consider here: thermostat and installation costs. In some heating systems, removing existing technology can also be costly. If these controls are not removed first, smart thermostats cannot be installed on some systems with existing remote controls. The Nest Thermostat costs £ 219 or £ 279 if professionally installed (plus £ 35 if you want a desk stand).

If you don't have a Hive Smart Home Hub, the Hive Active Heating Kit costs £ 249 (£ 199 if available) and includes installation. So a lot

There are rental / leasing arrangements for smart thermostats as well, but it's hard to see why you would want this. Of course, it will cut the upfront cost significantly, but in the long run you will inevitably pay more. All prices mentioned here are the prices you pay yourself when buying from MSRP or brands. Of course, you can get cheaper deals online, but for most users, our recommendation would be to sign a manufacturer's product and installation agreement.

Will a Nest or Hive smart thermostat work with my central heating?

Yes. If you have a relatively new programmer or thermostat, you can usually add a smart thermometer with minimal effort, older systems are more involved and may be considerably more expensive.

Which is the smartest thermostat Nest or Hive?

Both thermostats are part of broader smart home ecosystems like Amazon Echo, Google Home and IFTTT - both own and third parties.

Nest also offers a smoke alarm, cameras and a video doorbell. The Nest With Works program also means LIFX, Hue, Wemo, Google Home, Amazon Echo, and other major smart home brands (but not Apple's HomeKit) are also connected to their devices. If you're wondering why you might want to hook up smart lights to your central heating system, you can trigger light recipes when Nest detects you're leaving or coming back home. It also works with Google Home and Amazon Echo, but not Siri.

The Hive ecosystem includes remote cameras, window / door sensors, motion sensors, smart light bulbs, sockets and even a water leak sensor. It's compatible with Google Home and Amazon Echo, but not Siri.

All three devices have apps for iOS or Android. As usual, Windows Phone users are unlucky.

Nest versus Hive Features

All three offer remote control via smartphone apps and a remote control mode while on vacation, but that's not all they can do.

Nest's USP learns your routines: it examines your departures and arrivals, as well as your heating settings, to find out when you need them in the first few weeks. It can also get weather forecasts from your Wi-Fi network to avoid wasting energy on hot days. With a nice touch, the screen can show the weather or time rather than the temperature reading.

In short, Nest allows as many users to work (without tinkering) as they want without annoying anyone.

Hive frost protection is an important selling point. It can also be part of a larger multi-room system, but unlike Tado, it cannot communicate directly with your radiator valves, but the Hive Multizone is connected to separate thermostats in modern homes with multiple heating zones.

Which smart thermostat is best, Nest or Hive?

We narrowly rated the Nest Learning Thermostat as "best" as you can use your routines as a learning method or smart home center when that suits you. Those who really appreciate simplicity will love the Hive system even more and are also a little cheaper than Nest.