Owning your own home

Does that allow you to zone the house? Not sure if thats the correct word.

Also can you do all the fancy stuff like Nest?

I can heat specific rooms (or upstairs/downstairs) to specific temperatures (and it's one of the few thermostats that are HomeKit compatible, so I can do it through Siri instead of the app) if that's what you mean? I've found it useful during the winter months as I wfh so have just been able to keep the study cosy throughout the day instead of the whole house.
Not sure what fancy stuff Nest can do, but I imagine there's a large featureset overlap 🤷‍♂️

The Edwardians, Georgians and Victorians called... they want you to retract your comment.

I think Nest tries to "learn" how you set your heating over time so it does that automatically for you. Never appealed to me. I ain't havin' no skynet tell me when I'm supposed to be snuggly warm!

Did you install the Netatmo yourself? We currently have Hive but only because we used to be with BG and they had an offer where we got it for free (including installation). It syncs well with Alexa, but I've found I use that less and less. Just a shortcut on my phone homescreen.

Are there any recurring fees?

I have Netatmo too (in fact I've just bought it again after I moved).

Installed it myself, there's a few different options depending on the different wiring so it's pretty easy. Took me ten minutes the second time round.

No fees. The thermostat is at the cheaper end but valves are pricey if you want to outfit the whole house (although none of the systems are particularly cheap for valves).

There's some similar chat on the internet of things thread.

Cool, thanks. Will likely start with using the valves int he lesser used rooms. So that the rads aren't left on full whack and forgotten about. Then add more over time.

I can't say I spend a lot of time looking at my existing TRVs..

Looks like they now have one without an LCD display and they are cheaper too.

I bought these TRVs. Work less well but look oldy-woldy

oldy-woldy

I believe the correct term is Hygge

Buyers solicitor havent had our searches back (southwark) - says theyre delayed, was supposedly due back on the 2nd, starting to think they just didnt request them

Not sure what fancy stuff Nest can do, but I imagine there's a large featureset overlap

Nest really is just "Is the boiler on? Or is it off?".

It's boiler control and perhaps if places had full HVAC things would be different... but Nest primary selling point is "We'll learn your home heating needs - how long it takes to heat, when you want heat, and we'll dynamically schedule your heating to keep the temp how you want for the least cost"... but that is still just controlling the boiler for the whole house and it has no understanding of radiators at all.

Am considering a move to Tado precisely to gain per-room controls as the flat is over 85m2 and there's no point heating the whole flat when I'm WFH from the living room and barely go into the rest of the flat during the day.

Tado will at least do both boiler and radiator control... and as I have tended not to use the intelligent scheduling of Nest (it really doesn't understand that the reason I boost temperature is because I'm sat next to a draughty window - so the criteria is the wind speed and direction outside)... going with Tado looks to be the far better choice.

can you not just close the TRVs in unused rooms and then keep the doors closed? what am I missing?

Manually changing all the TRVs every time you do want to move room and heat another space.

A few of which are awkward to access (move furniture each time).

You'll be standing up to change channels on the telly next...

don't think I've touched my TRVs in donkeys - set-and-forget in the rooms I use. might be doing it wrong/inefficiently, I suppose

am still getting out of my seat to put lights on and off too

Do you mean Tado? Or is Tapo something new?

I've had Tado for 6 years now. First just the thermostat control (installed myself) and more recently added the TRVs in two rooms. It's been great, just works. It learns how long it takes to heat up the flat, will turn it off when you leave, then sense if you're heading back and start it back up before you get there. Good if you have a sporadic at home schedule (pre covid).

Do you mean Tado? Or is Tapo something new?

Brain fart... I meant Tado :D

I have these, don’t think they work well.

am still getting out of my seat to put lights on and off too

I get up to go downstairs to get my phone to turn off the lights, and then remember that the lights in this room aren't connecting to the network properly, so I have to do a weird on-off-on-off with the switch until it gets to the right setting

Have all Nest stuff, its ok, not a world changer, and feels like its a bit left out to wither on the vine since Googles acquisition.

I may be wrong, but I found Google Home really limited and quite useless especially when you have to use Voice with an additional app (but I'm on iPhone, imagine its different on Android).

Wait so if you want to have auto zoned heating you need to buy a wifi trv for each rad? I have 13 rads :/

Could I just install on the main ones?

Opposite, the main areas will be always on so just use standard trv. You need smart shit for the zones you want to turn off an on again at different times of the day, week, lunar cycle.

don't think I've touched my TRVs in donkeys

I adjust two regularly. With my hands.

Spare room = up to the max when the washing is hanging next to the rad. Down to defrost otherwise.

Dinning room (now home office and children's craft crap) = up to the max in the morning over breakfast then down to 2 for the rest of the day.

Everything else just stays the same more or less until it gets so cold we need the rad turned up in our bedroom....at which point we turn it up.

My OH is pretty militant about not using the heating. Although this winter that will be a write off with a newborn as the whole house will be a permeant 25°C.

Out of interest with those £50 smart ones, can you just have a couple? Now answered.

can you just have a couple?

I believe so. Most of the kits have a "starter" bundle with only a couple of units. It's what I will do. Use two to turn the rads way down in the two top rooms which won't be used much.

Although this winter that will be a write off with a newborn as the whole house will be a permeant 25°C.

The NHS recommend a baby sleeps in a room at 18°C