Samsung Joins Forces with British Gas to Help Customers Power Smarter Energy Use

Collaboration will empower consumers to make smarter energy choices to save money on their energy bills and contribute towards decarbonising their home

LONDON, UK – January 24, 2024 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd:  Samsung and British Gas, the UK’s leading supplier of energy and home services, today announce the exciting first step in a long-term venture – aimed at helping customers better manage their energy use and increase the adoption of low carbon heating technologies in homes across Britain.

The collaboration will see British Gas integrate with Samsung’s SmartThings app to help customers optimise their home appliances to use energy when the cost and demand are lower. This is now possible through the integration of SmartThings Energy and British Gas’ PeakSave demand flexibility scheme informing customers (by sending notifications via their smartphone, TV or other compatible devices) of the best times to use household appliances to save money.

The PeakSave scheme includes PeakSave Sundays, running every Sunday until the end of February with half-price electricity from 11am to 4pm for British Gas customers and PeakSave Winter events which encourages customers to move their electricity use out of peak times when there is high demand on Britain’s energy grid.

Scaling up low carbon heating opportunities

The collaboration will also help support customers in their journey to decarbonising their homes by introducing smart technologies in a way that is simple and empowering.  From early 2024, British Gas will include Samsung heat pumps in its offering to British households to support the UK’s commitment to reach net zero by 2050.

The venture will see specially trained British Gas surveyors and engineers working with consumers to explain the benefits of heat pumps and then conducting the installations on-site. Samsung will be supporting workforce training as part of their efforts to upskill the heating industry to ensure there are enough installers to service the expected growing demand.

British Gas also offers customers the chance to purchase heat pumps through flexible financing methods. This, combined with the recently increased UK Government Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant of £7,500, creates an attractive package of financing options to help people make the transition more affordable.

Commenting on the announcement, Deborah Honig, Chief Customer Officer at Samsung UK, said: “This collaboration will help educate consumers on the benefits of moving to heat pumps as well as how to manage their overall energy use through our leading home management app, SmartThings.

“It is an exciting moment for the technology and energy sectors to offer innovative ways for customers to manage their energy with less effort. Through SmartThings, we are putting the power directly into the customer’s hands so they can take greater control of how they manage their homes and energy use more efficiently. There are also many more exciting possibilities for us to help customers reap the multiple benefits of a connected home, moving forwards.”

Catherine O’Kelly, Managing Director of British Gas Energy at British Gas commented: “This venture is a big milestone in providing British customers with simple and affordable ways to help save money on their energy bills and cut carbon. This is the first step in our collaboration with Samsung, which will see us combine our strengths and bring more innovative solutions to the market.

“At the core of this venture is a shared commitment to helping customers manage their energy usage and carbon emissions through new technologies which will play an integral role in supporting the UK’s net zero drive.”

Chanwoo Park, Executive Vice President at Samsung Global, said: “As one of the UK’s most long-standing, trusted brands, British Gas is the perfect fit for us as an innovative technology business. Together we are now able to harness the power of our SmartThings platform to enable customers to analyse their behaviours and empower them to make changes to optimise their daily routines and energy use.”   

Lord Callanan, Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance, concluded: “We want more households to benefit from switching to greener energy and I am pleased to see Samsung and British Gas teaming up to help consumers on this journey.

“Since we increased our Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant to £7,500 – applications tripled in the first week, helping more hardworking families to install a heat pump in their homes.”

For more information, please visit: https://www.samsung.com/uk/smartthings/do-the-smartthings/#how-to or download the SmartThings app on Android or iOS.

Notes to Editors:

British Gas Smart Meters can also be linked to SmartThings, enabling customer to monitor energy use throughout their home, as well as Samsung appliances.

About Samsung R&D Institute (SRUK) 

Samsung R&D Institute UK (SRUK) Energy Innovation team was integral to the SmartThings integration with PeakSave. SRUK was established in 1996 as the first European R&D centre outside of Korea.  It is at the forefront of technology with areas of focus including Communication Networks, Advanced graphics, On Device AI and TV platforms.

About British Gas 

British Gas is Britain’s leading supplier of energy and home services and the country’s biggest retailer of zero carbon electricity. We are part of Centrica, a company founded on a 200-year heritage of serving people.  We provide energy, products and services to over 10 million UK homes and businesses, supported by around 7,500 highly trained engineers and technicians. We also offer a range of innovative products and services, including Hive.  Our purpose of helping customers live sustainably, simply and affordably drives our strategy and our People and Planet Plan.