How to install Hive Active Heating (UK)

Helpful video reference. We use Mark Ballard LTD's UK tutorial "How to Install the Hive Active Heating, Hub, Receiver, Thermostat & Smart Phone App Tutorial" as the video reference here. Mark is a professional heating engineer in the UK and covers the wiring, pairing sequence and app setup clearly, including the UK-specific difference between combi and system boiler configurations.

1. Identify your boiler type and existing controls

On a combi boiler there is no hot water cylinder, so Hive only needs to control the heating. You need the single-channel Hive Active Heating package: one receiver, one thermostat. The receiver has a CH output that sends a call-for-heat signal to the boiler's internal stat terminals.

On a system or regular (heat-only) boiler, you have a hot water cylinder too. You need the two-channel Hive Active Heating with Hot Water package, which has both a CH and HW relay in the receiver. If your existing controls include motorised zone valves (a Honeywell V4043 mid-position valve, or separate zone valves on a S-plan system), the installation is more complex because the receiver needs to drive the valve motor as well as signal the boiler. That setup is fine but warrants careful attention to the wiring diagram.

Check what you currently have before buying: a combi with a simple programmer, a system boiler with a programmer and cylinder thermostat, or something with zone valves.

2. Photograph the existing controls

Before loosening a single screw, photograph every terminal on the existing programmer or room thermostat. If the cable tails are not already labelled, write labels on masking tape and stick them to each conductor. This takes two minutes and is your recovery route if you need to reinstate the original setup.

On a programmer, the terminals are usually: L (live in), N (neutral in), E (earth), and output terminals labelled CH on or HW on, depending on the model. On a simple room thermostat replacing just the stat, you may only have two or three wires.

3. Isolate the boiler supply

Find the boiler's fused spur. It is usually a white or cream 3A switched fused connection unit (FCU) on the wall near the boiler, inside an airing cupboard, or on a ceiling joist above the boiler. Switch it off. If you cannot find a dedicated spur, look for a Heating MCB (usually a 6A breaker) in the consumer unit.

Test at the programmer terminals with a voltage tester. Both the live and the switched outputs should read dead. If one reads live, something is still energised - stop and investigate before proceeding.

4. Wire the Hive Receiver

The Hive Receiver comes with a back plate that mounts on the wall. Remove your existing programmer by unscrewing its housing and carefully pulling the cables free. Mount the Hive back plate in the same location, or chase a new hole if needed.

Connect the mains supply: L (brown), N (blue) and E (green/yellow) to the receiver's input terminals. The CH output terminals connect to the boiler's own internal thermostat input, which is typically labelled Stat or TH on the boiler's connection block - consult your boiler manual if the terminals are not labelled.

For a system boiler with a hot water cylinder: the HW output connects to the cylinder thermostat circuit or the HW zone valve's calling terminal. The Hive box includes wiring diagrams for combi, Y-plan and S-plan configurations - match your diagram to the setup you photographed in step 2.

Restore power at the fused spur briefly to check the receiver powers up and shows a green light, then isolate again before fitting the Hive thermostat.

5. Mount the Hive Hub

The Hub is a small puck-shaped unit. It plugs into a standard 13A socket and connects to your broadband router with the included Ethernet cable. Place it as close to the router as the cable allows. The Hub talks to the receiver and thermostat by radio (using Zigbee), so it does not need to be in the same room as either - it just needs a reliable internet connection.

Solid walls and long distances can reduce radio range. If the receiver is far from the Hub, try moving the Hub closer to the midpoint rather than leaving it next to the router.

6. Fit the Hive Thermostat

The Hive wireless thermostat is battery-powered. There is no wiring at all at the thermostat location. Mount it on an internal wall at roughly 1.5 m from the floor, away from radiators, draughts and direct sunlight - the same rules as for any room thermostat.

If you are adding Hive Smart TRVs to individual radiators (available separately), remove each existing TRV head by unscrewing it from the valve body underneath. Thread the Hive Smart TRV onto the valve body - most UK TRVs use a standard Drayton RA valve thread and the Hive TRV fits directly. If the radiator only has a lockshield valve (no thermostatic valve), you will need a plumber to fit a new TRV body before the smart head can go on.

7. Pair everything in the Hive app and test

Download the Hive app (iOS or Android). Sign in or create a British Gas/Hive account. Follow the in-app pairing sequence: add the Hub first, then the Receiver, then the Thermostat (and any Smart TRVs). The app prompts you to press the pairing button on each device - the receiver has a small button on its front face.

Once all devices show as paired, set up a heating schedule and configure a frost protection temperature (7°C is the standard). Then test by raising the target temperature in the app above the current room temperature and listening for the boiler firing. The thermostat display should show the target rising and the boiler light on the receiver should illuminate.

If you have smart TRVs, check each one reports its current temperature in the app and responds to a schedule change.

When to call us

Hive on a combi boiler is one of the more manageable smart heating installs. The moment you open an airing cupboard and find a wiring centre with several cables, or the boiler wiring looks nothing like any of the Hive diagrams in the box, call Richard. Getting zone valve wiring wrong can damage the valve or cause the boiler to run uncontrolled.