Manage your heating remotely at home or away

Paul talks about new brand Hive, by British Gas, and how its first product, Hive Active HeatingTM, is helping people manage their heating and hot water

Paul Grosvenor, Marketing Manager, British Gas: In his first guest blog, Paul talks about new brand Hive, by British Gas, and how its first product, Hive Active HeatingTM, is helping people manage their heating and hot water more easily.

Technology is playing an increasingly important role in all of our lives - sometimes it seems we can’t go anywhere without a smart phone in our hand or an Ipad in our bag! We’re all busier than ever and time-savers like apps, really help us do things in a quicker and simpler way such as paying our bills or shopping for groceries.

But have you ever thought about controlling your heating and hot water through an app? To be able to switch your heating off when you’ve left the house in a hurry, switch it on when you’re coming home early, or even turn it up on a winter’s eve from the comfort of your sofa?

Now you can with Hive Active Heating™ from British Gas.

Hive Active Heating™ was launched in September as part of a new brand – Hive, By British Gas, Hive. Hive aims to revolutionise the way we control our homes through internet-enabled products and services that give people greater flexibility and control over their energy use. And it’s not just a product for British Gas customers, anyone can use it.

So what can it do?

With a few taps on a mobile, tablet or laptop, Hive Active Heating™ lets you:

  • Switch your heating or hot water on or off, up or down
  • Set a heating and hot water schedule that suits your lifestyle
  • Remotely change the temperature of your home wherever you are and at any time
  • Know when your house is too hot or cold and avoid frozen pipes through alerts

We recognise that people lead busy lives. So we want to help them gain greater control over their energy use and better align their homes with their lives in a way that works for them. It makes life easier because whenever your plans change; your heating can too. You’ll therefore never have to heat an empty home again and by reducing the amount of energy wasted, Hive Active Heating™ could help you save up to £150 each year off your energy bills. Costing £199 (including professional installation by a British Gas engineer), you could therefore start to benefit from savings fairly soon.

How does it work?

A British Gas engineer installs Hive Active Heating™ for you whilst you set up an online account and download the free app. Heating and hot water can then be controlled via the app, the online dashboard or even by a text command if you don’t own a smart phone.

The three main components of the Hive Active Heating™ system - a thermostat, wireless receiver and the hub - then work together with your home’s existing heating and hot water system so that you can sit back and start to manage your home heating with ease – at home or while you’re away.

We are committed to making it easier for our customers to control and engage with their energy use.

If you want to be one step closer to managing your energy from anywhere and at any time, learn more about Hive Active Heating™ here, or, take a look at our recently launched new campaign which includes a new-look TV advert. The ad creates a fantastical world with animal characters showing what they could be getting up to while Hive is busy taking care of things at home. I hope you enjoy watching it!