British Gas makes major update that could help slash your bills this winter (original) (raw)

The Peak Save scheme rewards customers with money off their bills for shifting their electricity usage to times when there's less demand, or more renewable electricity available on the grid

British Gas has expanded its partnership with Samsung

British Gas has expanded a partnership with Samsung which aims to help Brits cut their energy bills.

Samsung UK has announced that Brits with Hive Smart thermostats will soon be able to control household devices and appliances within Samsung's SmartThings home app. Currently, Hive smart thermostat users can adjust their heating remotely from Samsung's SmartThings app.

The Peak Save scheme rewards customers with money off their bills for shifting their electricity usage to times when there's less demand, or more renewable electricity available on the grid. The supplier currently offers its "Peak Save Sundays" which gives half-price electricity between 11am and 4pm.

Samsung says that SmartThings Energy will be able to automate connected appliances’ operating modes during these Peak Save periods to take advantage of times when electricity is cheaper - helping customers save money overall.

Deborah Honig, chief customer officer at Samsung UK and Ireland, said the increasing access to energy consumption controls across a range of appliances was vital for many. Particularly ahead of this winter when energy bills are set to rise again. She said: “We know that controlling energy consumption is a top priority for our customers, and as we head into winter this becomes an even bigger priority.

“We are continually evolving our SmartThings energy management features and extending our partnerships with British Gas and Tesla, to make it even easier and more intuitive for customers to manage their home energy usage."

British Gas launched its Peak Save events in December 20922 and has since extended it multiple times. It says that £13million has been paid to more than 650,000 customers taking part. Most recently, British Gas also launched a new "Peak Save Green Flex" event which gives customers half price electricity when there is lots of renewable energy available - such as wind power.

The Green Flex events last for between one and two hours with customers notified the day before or the morning of an event. All they need to do then is "opt in" and do more "energy intensive tasks" during the event. The savings then appear as "PeakSave Credit" on your energy bill. The Samsung app can be downloaded free and works on both Android and iPhone as well as Samsung's televisions.