I paid for the BritishGas install, the engineer turned up and made a few noises after looking at my existing wiring. He said it was "weird" and that he could only connect the Hive to the central heating by replacing my existing thermostat and that the existing programmer for the hot water would have to remain. He said the alternative was to replace my current pump and wiring so that it was "compatible" which would be a separate more expensive job costing potentially costing several hundred pounds. I reluctantly agreed to heating control only as the only alternative was for him to do nothing. After he installed the Hive and left I did a little bit of research on the components of my heating system and felt it should be possible to wire the hot water system in by taking the wires from the existing programmer (Honeywell ST799) and wiring them into the Hive receiver. However, I then realised the engineer had installed a single channel receiver designed for a combi boiler, despite the fact I should have had a dual channel receiver as I have a conventional boiler! This meant even if I wanted to connect the hot water system I wouldn't be able to as I've been given the wrong receiver. After a few different calls to Hive they agreed that if I have a conventional boiler I should have had a dual channel receiver fitted and they agreed to send one to me. Once I receive this I intend to do the job myself as it's literally moving 4 wires and they are all labelled up from my existing programmer. The idea is the receiver replaces the programmer, whereas for some reason the engineer installed it with the programmer...
My advice? If you want to buy this, don't pay for the BritishGas install. Ask a savvy friend to do it for you or find a local tradesman if you aren't confident enough to do it yourself.
UPDATE: I received my dual channel receiver and was able to install it myself with relative ease. I am now able to control both my central heating and hot water independently using Hive, which was part of the reason I wanted a Hive! My comments regarding the BritishGas installed still stand, you'd be much better off getting a local reputable tradesman to do it if you aren't confident enough to do it yourself. However, I would strongly recommend you simply lookup the wiring for your existing programmer and thermostat which should allow you to match the wiring up to the Hive wiring instructions like I did.
Just another thing to mention, Hive support. The first time I called Hive I explained everything that had happened to agent who then said that she would like to speak to the engineer that did the job before she could send me a dual channel receiver. She tried to do this while I was on the phone but wasn't able to get through to him, so she connected me to BritishGas "dispatch" who said they could send another engineer today and would call me back shortley to confirm. They didn't call back so I called Hive several hours later to find out what was happening. I spoke to a different agent who asked what type of heating system I had, when I explained I had a conventional boiler he said that installing a single channel receiver for a conventional boiler is not a completed install and that he could send me the dual channel receiver free of charge as part of the warranty, which is what I was expecting the first time I called! Anyway, an hour or so later I got a call back from the first agent who said she had spoken to the engineer and said that as I accepted the install there was nothing she could do and that I would have to pay for any further work or replacement parts. I explained to her that the engineer didn't explain that he was installed a different receiver which would prevent me from ever being able to connect my hot water to the Hive but she simply repeated that I had accepted the install. I then explained that I had spoken to a another agent who had said "a coventional boiler must have a dual receiver installed otherwise it's not a complete installation" to which she replied "what you have just said is true". When I explained that a previous agent had already agreed to dispatch the dual receiver she simply said "okay I will close this off then". My advice is if you find yourself in a similar situation i.e. you have a coventional boiler but for some reason you've had a single channel receiver installed, Hive's policy is that a coventional boiler MUST have a dual channel receiver installed and they can replace your receiver under warranty.
| Manufacturer | Hive |
|---|---|
| Part Number | HAH2INSTAMZ-01 |
| Product Dimensions | 10 x 10 x 5 cm; 212 Grams |
| Batteries | 4 AA batteries required. (included) |
| Item model number | HAH2INSTAMZ-01 |
| Size | With Installation |
| Style | Heating and Hot Water |
| Item Package Quantity | 1 |
| Included Components | Thermostat |
| Batteries included? | Yes |
| Batteries Required? | Yes |
| Battery Cell Type | Alkaline |
| Item Weight | 212 g |
