Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd today announced the launch of SmartThings Energy in the UK, a world-first service that will allow UK households to manage their energy usage, with any UK provider, directly from their phones, and completely free of charge. This service is a supercharged version of SmartThings Energy Control, which Samsung launched two years ago in the UK.
Housed on Samsung’s SmartThings platform, and powered by smart energy technology company Chameleon Technology, customers can add their smart meter to see how much energy they’re using, understand how much it’s costing them and even set and track budgets all from their phone.
With smart meter uptake growing at a reduced rate in the UK, yet the need for action on energy consumption and decarbonisation more important than ever, the hope is that services like SmartThings Energy can help galvanise consumer interest in smart meters by empowering users to take action based on their energy usage data more easily. Chameleon’s technology enables smart meter data to be securely and privately populated in the SmartThings app.
Available to download on Android and iOS, SmartThings is the easiest way to connect and control a wide range of smart devices from Samsung and other leading brands, all from one app – making life simpler, safer and more convenient.
And once energy prices begin to stabilise, with a price cap increase likely in the new year, SmartThings Energy will also highlight if cheaper tariffs are available based on actual household energy usage. By partnering with Uswitch; the UK’s leading price comparison service, to provide end-to-end energy management, SmartThings Energy will give people greater control when it comes to domestic energy use.
With increasing prices and the energy price cap shielding customers from even higher bills active energy management in the home has never been more important. And whilst it may be difficult to control bills right now, once prices stabilise and the threat of a price cap increase in 2022 becomes a reality, customers will feel more empowered to ensure they not only pay less, but waste less and use less energy this winter. Following the recent price cap increase, experts have warned millions of homes could face a winter energy bill hike of more than £139 a year[1].
Commenting on this announcement, Teg Dosanjh, Director of Connected Services and Technology, Samsung UK and Ireland said: “In a time when people are feeling a lack of control over their energy usage, with very limited options to mitigate increasing costs, we’re pleased to be able to drive change in the energy space by launching SmartThings Energy.
We’ve been working hard with our partners Chameleon Technology and Uswitch over the past few months to deliver a completely free-to-use, independent service that takes the guesswork out of household energy management, empowering our customers to have a holistic view of their energy consumption, providing budgeting capabilities.
By helping households be more aware of their energy consumption and encourage positive behaviours to reduce energy usage, SmartThings Energy offers a category-defining energy saving service for everyone, irrespective of who their energy provider is.”
Mike Woodhall, CEO, Chameleon Technology added: “To date, as consumers, we have all been passengers on the journey towards Net Zero. However, through the continued evolution of SmartThings Energy, Chameleon Technology is now able to deliver personal smart meter data into the palm of your hand.
We are pleased to further our commitment to empowering individuals to make smarter and more informed choices about how to better manage their home energy consumption in support of their personal journey towards their decarbonised future.”
Sarah Broomfield, energy expert at Uswitch.com said: “We’re excited to be partnering with Samsung on the launch of SmartThings Energy. Our hope is that this new service will help customers adopt positive behaviours when it comes to energy awareness and management.”
When coupled with Samsung’s range of intelligent devices, the service can not only be harnessed to automatically switch appliances to low energy mode and notify you if appliances are running when no one is at home, but it can also notify users when their energy consumption exceeds monthly targets. SmartThings Energy can also take a user’s actual energy tariff information, including peak time rates, in order to help adjust their energy usage and subsequently minimise costs.
[1] https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/record-gas-prices-drive-price-cap-ps139-customers-encouraged-contact-supplier-support-and-switch-better-deal-if-possible
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