Heat On Demand: Maximising Control with Hive Radiator Valves

Answer

Heat On Demand allows your Hive Radiator Valves to switch on your heating system independently of your Hive Thermostat. This gives you full room-by-room control, so each room can be heated to its own temperature and schedule.

How It Works

When a Hive Radiator Valve needs heat, it sends a signal to your Hive Thermostat to activate a 30-minute boost.

  • If more heat is needed after 30 minutes, another boost is triggered.
  • The boost sets the thermostat to 25°C, but this is not the target temperature for your rooms.
  • Each Hive Radiator Valve heats its room to the temperature you’ve set in the Hive app.
  • Once all rooms reach their targets, the boost ends.

 NOTE: The 25°C setting is just a trigger to turn the boiler on. Your rooms will only heat to their individual targets. 

What Happens to Other Rooms?

When the heating is on, all radiators receive hot water:

  • Hive Radiator Valves heat rooms to their set temperatures.
  • Manual radiator valves (non-smart) will continue heating until the boiler turns off.

Heat on Demand works best when you use Hive Radiator Valves on most radiators to avoid heating rooms unnecessarily and to maintain full control.

 TIP: Most homes have one manual valve (often near the thermostat) to ensure the boiler always has a radiator to heat. Do not replace this with a Hive Radiator Valve without consulting a plumber. 

How to Enable Heat On Demand

You’ll need:

  • A Hive Thermostat
  • A Hive Hub

To enable in the Hive app:

  1. Install and name each Hive Radiator Valve.
  2. During setup, you’ll be asked:
    “Would you like [radiator name] to turn the boiler on?”
    • Select Yes to enable Heat On Demand.
    • Select No to disable it.

You can change this later by:

  • Opening the Hive Radiator Valve settings (tap the settings icon)
  • Toggling Heat On Demand on or off

When Heat On Demand Won’t Trigger

Heat On Demand will not activate if:

  • It’s not enabled
  • Your thermostat is set to Off
  • Your thermostat is in Holiday Mode
  • Your thermostat is already heating
  • A boost is already running
  • Your thermostat’s target temperature is above 25°C
  • The Hive Radiator Valve doesn’t need heat (room is already warm)

Turning Off Heat On Demand

To disable:

  • Go to the Hive Radiator Valve settings
  • Unlink it from the Hive Thermostat

If disabled, Hive Radiator Valves will only heat rooms when the heating is already on.

Using Heat On Demand on Selected Radiators

Heat On Demand is managed per radiator.

To disable it for specific Hive Radiator Valves:

  1. Open the Hive app
  2. Tap the settings icon on the valve’s control screen
  3. Toggle Heat On Demand off

That radiator will still heat up when the boiler is on, but won’t be able to turn the boiler on by itself.

Efficiency Reassurance

Changing how Heat On Demand works does not affect heating efficiency.

  • The 25°C boost is just a trigger.
  • Each Hive Radiator Valve still heats its room to the temperature you’ve set.

We’re moving towards a simpler setup where you just choose whether your Hive Radiator Valves can trigger the boiler. The system will manage everything else in the background to ensure smooth operation.