Samsung Electronics has teamed up with British Gas to help householders better manage their energy use in homes around Britain.

This initiative – an expansion of SmartThings Energy to integrate British Gas’ PeakSave incentive programme – helps users make their home more energy-efficient with less intervention.

“As one of the UK’s most trusted brands, British Gas is the perfect fit for us as an innovative technology business,” said Chanwoo Park, executive vice president at Samsung Electronics. “Together we are now able to harness SmartThings Energy to provide customers with easier control into optimising their daily routines and energy use.”

British Gas is a UK supplier of energy and home services, and it has been providing these services to Britain’s homes for over 200 years, having launched in 1812 as the world’s first utility company. In addition to supplying energy to ten million UK homes and businesses, it is also focused on getting the UK to net zero by 2050 through helping customers reduce their homes’ carbon footprints with a range of energy-efficient home improvements.

One of the core outcomes of the collaborative relationship is the integration of SmartThings Energy’s Auto DR auto demand response feature with British Gas’ PeakSave in Great Britain. PeakSave rewards British Gas customers for shifting their electricity usage during peak hours when demand for electricity is high. Customers can take advantage of the programme through SmartThings Energy’s support for Auto DR, which automatically adjusts appliances’ operating modes when an event is triggered. Customers can then earn money for using less electricity during the events.

There are a few different methods for activating SmartThings Energy’s Auto DR feature depending on the type of appliance. First, it can automatically turn on the AI energy mode in SmartThings Energy to save extra energy use in the supported appliances. Secondly, with the power-off function, users can consume less energy from having their appliances turned off when appropriate. This includes certain third-party lights and plugs.

Finally, savings can be achieved through smart temperature adjustment for EHS heatpump products and third-party thermostats. SmartThings Energy (www.smartthings.com/smartthings-energy) even helps users who do not own Auto DR-compatible appliances by sending alerts in the application when a peak event is triggered enabling users to take action in their own ways to save energy when notified.

In addition to Great Britain, Samsung has already rolled out its DR service in a number of other regions, including Seoul, California and New York in 2023. Samsung plans to explore further collaborations and continue to provide multi-faceted programmes that contribute towards the net-zero home, as it looks to expand the service across the world. Recent achievements along these lines include the energy-efficient residential community in Brobyholm, Sweden, announced in November 2023, as well as the Southern Company project unveiled at this month’s CES in Las Vegas.

British Gas (www.britishgas.co.uk) supplies energy and services and the is the UK’s biggest retailer of zero carbon electricity. It is part of Centrica (www.centrica.com) and provides energy, products and services to over ten million UK homes and businesses, supported by around 7500 engineers and technicians.