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Exertis Gem has announced its collaboration with British Gas in order to distribute its Hive Active Heating technology.
Launched in October 2013, Hive is a service that lets users control their home’s heating and hot water remotely using a smartphone, tablet or through a web browser.
The smart utility is one of the latest home automation devices to launch in the UK as part of the quickly growing sector – read more about the market here.
British Gas’ partnership with Exertis Gem means that the distributor is now one of the official suppliers of Hive to the UK retail channel.
Kassir Hussain, director of connected homes at British Gas, commented: “Already, 80,000 households in the UK are controlling their heating and hot water from their mobile devices with Hive Active Heating, saving up to £150 a year on their energy bills.
“Being able to control your home from your phone means that you don’t need to heat an empty home and never come home to a cold one.
“Based on customer feedback we’ve recently added an optional Geolocation feature – it knows from your smartphone’s location services when you’re on your way home or are heading out, and prompts you to turn the heating off or on.
“This is what the future looks like, with smart home technology offering customers greater control, convenience and ultimately comfort in their homes.”
Danielle Barker, consumer electronics category manager for Exertis Gem, added: “Connected home technology is a pivotal focus for Exertis Gem.
“The brands we work with have been carefully selected to best align us to the demands of consumers and, therefore, our customers.
“Hive, by British Gas, puts the consumer fully in control of their heating offering a smart way to save money on their household bills and we’re extremely excited to have been selected by British Gas to supply what I’m sure will be a very popular product.”
