British Gas is looking to end the pain of unexpected cold showers with a new smart boiler service that is able to predict any potential breakdown.
The company has today launched BoilerIQ, a smart, connected service that constantly monitors itself to check for faults, sending data directly to British Gas.
If any issues are found, BoilerIQ will alert the customer by text, with British Gas then telephoning to arrange an engineer visit.
The engineer will already have received all the information from BoilerIQ, allowing them to remotely diagnose the problem without needing to be anywhere near the home in question, and also identify what replacement parts might be needed, ensuring the problem can be fixed more quickly.
“Boiler IQ is a hugely exciting innovation, helping British Gas to stand apart in the home services market, and offering unrivalled benefits to our HomeCare customers,” said Matthew Bateman, managing director of residential services at British Gas.
“Our number one priority is to make customers’ lives easier and more convenient. We know from two years trialling this product just how important it is for our customers to be in control and have peace of mind that their home will stay warm, safe and working.
“Research shows that more than three quarters of people say they would find a smart boiler service that spots faults and alerts them by text before they’ve noticed the issue helpful. Boiler IQ does just that, and will go a long way towards making cold showers a thing of the past.”
British Gas says it found that nearly 40 percent of people in the UK have endured cold showers in the last five years due to problems with their boiler, and more than half (56 percent) have gone without heating for at least a day.
The launch is the latest from a major UK energy company in an attempt to gain a share of the ever-more lucrative smart home market.
Last December, npower revealed the launch of a smart home app that looks to control all the connected products and services in your house, teaming up with the likes of Nest Labs, Yale and D-link to develop an integrated ‘eco-system’ controlled by a single npower app.
A recent report from analyst house Juniper predicted that consumer spending on smart homes and their associated products is set to skyrocket and reach $100bn (£65bn) within the next five years, as this growth will push the number of connected appliances in smart homes to over 20 million by 2020.
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This sounds like an awesome idea. But really, I'll believe it when I see it. There are other ways to help avoid boiler breakdowns. For example, I get boiler services in East London http://rjgasheating.co.uk/boiler-service-benefits/ regularly. My engineers are very helpful and the check up has helped pinpoint potential problems before they breakdown.