Religion and Ethics Forum

General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Hope on January 01, 2016, 09:49:00 AM

Title: British Gas Hive Central Heating
Post by: Hope on January 01, 2016, 09:49:00 AM
We recently had a British Gas 'Hive' installed which, among other things, allows one to control the central heating remotely.

I notice that its 'frost protection' is programmed to cut in when it is 7o or less outside.  Apart from meaning that one uses more gas and thus boosting one's gas supplier's profits, would there a particular climatic or physics reason for so high a threshold?  Wouldn't 5o or even 3o be just as good a threshold.  I will have to ask BG whether one can change that threshold (we're not with BG for our gas - just our maintenance) so it wouldn't effect them at all.
Title: Re: British Gas Hive Central Heating
Post by: floo on January 01, 2016, 11:01:06 AM
We recently had a British Gas 'Hive' installed which, among other things, allows one to control the central heating remotely.

I notice that its 'frost protection' is programmed to cut in when it is 7o or less outside.  Apart from meaning that one uses more gas and thus boosting one's gas supplier's profits, would there a particular climatic or physics reason for so high a threshold?  Wouldn't 5o or even 3o be just as good a threshold.  I will have to ask BG whether one can change that threshold (we're not with BG for our gas - just our maintenance) so it wouldn't effect them at all.

I always like to be able to adjust my boiler by hand not by some gismo. We had a gismo which drove me nuts as it seemed to have a mind of its own; I had it replaced by a manual setting. Our boiler servicer told me that these new gismos, which you can use remotely, could possibly be turned on or off accidently by other people on the same frequency.
Title: Re: British Gas Hive Central Heating
Post by: Red Giant on January 01, 2016, 11:37:09 AM
I would guess they're making an extreme allowance for windchill.  The pipe in my outhouse doesn't freeze until it's several degrees below zero.