Last year we reviewed the British Gas smart heating tech, Hive, and were pretty impressed with it. One thing that actually bugged us a
bit about the whole gadget, which allows you to control your home's heating
with your phone from anywhere, was that the thermostat looked a tad dated. News
recently released by Hive revealed that we'll soon be getting what we hoped
for, as well as lots more.
But our own DIY failures aside, Hive also announced new app
features that users will benefit from (including multi-zone control, holiday
mode, and generally better flexibility with hot water), as well as a whole host
of new additions to the system. Smart plugs, motion sensors, window and door
sensors, and smart lighting in the form of connected light bulbs have all been
promised, to be added to the Hive's existing hub and controlled with the Hive
app.
This really excites us, as we have been using the Hive system for six months now and have always found it very effective. Adding further smart home capabilities to the same system is something we welcome and we really are looking forward to testing some of this new kit out.
On that note, if you are existing Hive customer you can get the updated thermostat from August for a special (and short term) cost of £99, while new customers will get the thermostat included in a full installation for £249.