• Over half (54%) of people in the UK believe heating to be the biggest drain of energy in their houses during the winter months

• Samsung SmartThings Energy Control is a free to use service which helps users analyse their home’s energy usage. Through the platform, customers can save money and reduce their carbon footprint, whilst controlling appliances remotely via SmartThings

LONDON, UK – October 20, 2020 – As we head into autumn and the warm days become a distant memory, the annual ‘to heat or not to heat’ debate is sparked in households across the country, with over a fifth (22%) of Brits admitting that when to turn the heating on causes arguments in their home. A further 23% admit that deciding on which times to have the heating on throughout the day also sparks debates.

While just under a third tend to turn their heating on at the start of October (30%), over half of Brits (54%) believe that turning the heating on is the biggest drain of energy in the home throughout the autumn and winter months, and try to wait as long as they can before turning it on.

The survey[1] by Samsung reveals the lengths that Brits go to save on costs and delay switching on the heating, from simple solutions such as wearing extra layers around the house (65%), drinking hot drinks (40%) and wearing socks to bed (40%). Some, however, admit to heating up the bed with a hair dryer before climbing in (8%) or leaving the oven on longer than needed (8%) to generate more heat!

However, what they may not realise is that some of the measures taken (e.g. using an electric blanket or leaving the oven on) actually result in even more energy being consumed. Samsung SmartThings Energy Control (STEC) is a free to use service which helps users take control of your home’s energy via the SmartThings App. It shows detailed, down to the minute information so you can view your home’s energy usage and cost by the hour, day, or month.

“At Samsung, our customers are at the heart of every decision we make. From the devices and services we create, to the partnerships we foster, everything is done with them in mind,” comments Teg Dosanjh, Director of Connected Services and Technology at Samsung Electronics UK and Ireland.

“Our SmartThings Energy Control platform in partnership with Bulb is a perfect example of this. By enabling customers to see their household energy information in one easy-to-use app, we are giving them control and empowering them to make informed decisions about how best to reduce their energy usage.”

With 15% of people in the UK admitting that they don’t understand the most cost-efficient ways to reduce heating bills in their household to save energy, SmartThings Energy Control is a simple way of monitoring spend and ensuring cost-efficiency. While heating is one form of energy that the service can help to monitor and control through connecting to a thermostat, the wider SmartThings platform is compatible with thousands of smart products – including lighting and washing machines, which means you can have full visibility of energy usage via STEC and the power to control those devices remotely, all through the SmartThings app.

Despite heating being a constant concern over rising energy bills, three quarters of the UK (75%) are not currently using an energy control app or meter.  This is even though those who are reported an average saving of up to £2.86 per week[2].

For over a quarter of Brits (26%), it isn’t just the rising costs that are a concern – environmental impacts of using heating also delays the switch on as it adds to the rise of energy usage in the home. This is even higher (33%) among the eco-conscious Gen Z age group (18-24). SmartThings Energy Control offers greater visibility of energy usage within the home, educating households by providing them the tools to use less energy, save on bills and lower carbon emissions.

SmartThings Energy Control is available today to current members of Bulb with a second-generation smart meter installed. These members can simply download the SmartThings app and get going.

Find out more about SmartThings Energy Control at: https://www.samsung.com/uk/smartenergy  or download the SmartThings app for both Android and iOS: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.samsung.android.oneconnect&hl=en_GB

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/smartthings/id1222822904

[1] Research was fielded online among a nationally representative sample of 2,000 adults living in the UK. Fieldwork was carried out in partnership with OnePoll and was in field from 01/10/2020-05/10/2020

[2] Average saving when using an energy control app or meter calculated based on information provided in consumer research by OnePoll, with sample size of 2,000 respondents

SmartThings Energy Control is an exciting evolution of the smart home. It represents an important step forward in the way people connect energy usage information and their carbon impact with practical, everyday actions like switching on the washing machine. With the ability to see detailed, up-to-the-minute information about energy usage via the app, and with the power to share that data with everyone in the household, SmartThings Energy Control gives people the power to make informed choices about their energy consumption.

Teg Dosanjh, Director of Connected Living, Samsung Electronics UK and Ireland,

commented:

“We know that up to 40 percent of UK carbon emissions are created in the home^[1]. While smart meters help increase awareness of energy usage, digital technology can help to create the behaviour changes required to really make a difference to people’s pockets and their carbon footprint. With SmartThings Energy Control, we’re taking energy data off the wall and putting it into people’s hands. This innovation takes us into a new era of smart when it comes to energy management. It’s about enabling access to that data in a way that feels natural to people so households are more empowered to make informed decisions about how to reduce and when to use their energy.”

Hayden Wood, CEO of Bulb commented:

“Smart meters are a foundational element in making energy simpler, cheaper and greener. To make the most of them, our members need useful digital tools to help them understand their energy usage. That’s why we’re excited to announce this new tool which will help our members to use less energy, save on their bills and lower carbon emissions.”

Demand for power is at its peak between 4 and 7pm in the UK. Energy at this time is expensive and carbon-intensive, as this high demand is met mostly by burning fossil fuels. In the next few months the app will integrate with Bulb’s Smart Tariff and advise members how much they’ll be able to save if they shift some of their energy use out of the peak hours, the most expensive parts of the day. As well as reporting on how much energy usage costs, the app will also provide data on carbon intensity so households can make greener decisions about when to use energy. Running pre-set oven programmes or dishwasher cycles outside of peak hours will help people to use energy at greener, cheaper times, helping members to save on their energy bills and lower their carbon impact.

With millions of SmartThings enabled devices already in homes across the UK, and hundreds of compatible partners, SmartThings Energy Control is a natural next step for people looking for opportunities to make meaningful changes to how they use energy at home. From making sure the lights are out when leaving home to scheduling the washing machine to run cooler with the Laundry Planner, the app makes it easy and more convenient to make a change for the better by adding control to all connected at-home appliances and tools.

In addition, SmartThings Energy Control is not just a service for the bill-payer as it enables the whole household to get involved and individually see the impact of collective changes day by day. By working together, the whole household can reduce their overall cost and carbon impact without compromising bill-payer privacy or control.

SmartThings Energy Control has been developed in partnership with Chameleon Technology, a leading smart energy technology company in the UK. Chameleon provides the cloud-connected smart in-home display, and enables the data connection to the SmartThings Energy cloud.

SmartThings Energy Control is available today to current members of Bulb with a second-generation smart meter installed. These members can simply download the SmartThings app on an iOS or Android device and get going. Bulb also welcomes new members who’d like to sign up for affordable, renewable energy. These members will need to have a second-generation smart meter installed before they can use the SmartThings service. Not all homes are suitable for smart meter installation.

Find out more about SmartThings Energy Control at: https://www.samsung.com/uk/smartenergy

[1] ^{Source: https://www.theccc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/5CB-Infographic-FINAL-.pdf}