INNOVATION REVIEW
for decades. In fact, the last mainstream innovation in this area of our homes could be described as the mass adoption of central heating in the 1970s. This all comes at a cost, both financially and in terms of the daily balance of our lives. British Gas research found that eight million homes leave their heating on when they leave the house and that, on average, people waste £150 per year heating their homes when they do not need to. We have found that the thermostat baffles and confuses – many of our customers do not understand how to use it and some do not even know where it is! In an age when time and finances are particularly stretched for many, this lack of control simply is
not good enough. There is a huge opportunity to turn our homes from inactive bricks and mortar into places that work for us, that sync with the daily nuances of our lives. We are on the cusp of the biggest transformation and modernisation of the home for all of us: the connected home. Broadband and smartphone penetration means the infrastructure is in place. You have to lay the roads before you can expect the cars to come, and, in the UK now, we have the framework for the connected home to thrive. At British Gas, we are extremely well placed to help bring about this change. With over 200 years of heritage we have been innovating since we introduced gas lamplighters in the 1800s. 35