Samsung teams up with British Gas to enable more energy efficient homes

Samsung Electronics has collaborated with British Gas, the U.K.'s leading supplier of energy and home services, to enable reduced energy bills and more energy-efficient homes around Britain, the South Korean firm said on Wednesday.

The collaboration results in the integration of SmartThings Energy's Auto Demand Response (Auto DR) feature which automatically adjusts appliances’ operating modes when an event is triggered with British Gas’ PeakSave in Great Britain - an incentive program that rewards customers for shifting their electricity usage during peak hours when electricity demand is high. 

Customers can easily take advantage of the PeakSave program via SmartThings Energy's support for Auto DR and then earn money for using less electricity during peak hours.

The Auto DR feature can be activated depending on the type of appliance:

• It can automatically turn on the AI Energy Mode in SmartThings Energy to save extra energy use in the supported appliances.
• With the power-off function, users can consume less energy from having their appliances turned off when appropriate.
• Savings can also be achieved through smart temperature adjustment for EHS (Heatpump) products and third-party thermostats.

For those who do not own Auto DR-compatible appliances, SmartThings Energy sends alerts in the application when a peak event is triggered allowing them to take action to save energy when notified.

British Gas, which supplies energy to 10 million UK homes and businesses, aims to get the U.K. to net zero by 2050 by helping customers to reduce their homes’ carbon footprints with a range of energy-efficient home improvements.

"As one of the U.K.’s most trusted brands, British Gas is the perfect fit for us as an innovative technology business. Together we are now able to harness SmartThings Energy to provide customers with easier control into optimizing their daily routines and energy use," said Chanwoo Park, Executive Vice President at Samsung Electronics.