British Gas' existing thermostat appBritish Gas has launched a remote-controlled heating and hot water hub as the first product under its new Hive brand, which is focused on smart homes.
The wireless receiver is installed next to the boiler, with a small hub plugged into your broadband router, so users can control both their heating and hot water from their mobile or on desktop.
Active Heating will cost £199 for the install – in context, British Gas customers waste £150 of energy every year – and is on offer for non-British Gas customers too. MD of commercial and product development at British Gas, Andrew Brem, formely of Asda and Carphone Warehouse, promised that there would be ways of making the tech more affordable.
40 per cent check BG thermo app daily
Nina Bhatia, MD of British Gas connected homes, which she called a startup within the huge energy organisation, said: “Power hasn’t really changed since the 70s – since the mass adoption of central heating. Our homes are the last unconnected bastion of our lives, piles of bricks and mortar that don’t connect to much, apart from in the living room.”
British Gas already has an app for controlling the thermostat – downloaded by 20,000 people since it launched last year – with 40 per cent checking it every day. It has also installed smart meters in 1m homes.
Why the new brand?
“This is to signify that this is a new category of product for us and to underline our commitment to this,” Brem said. “Hive is big deal for British Gas and has the potential to transfrom how people live in their homes in the UK.”
