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Update: Direct Energy Parent To Launch "Entire Suite" of Connected Home Products in U.S. By Year-End

August 3, 2016

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Copyright 2010-16 EnergyChoiceMatters.com
Reporting by Paul Ring • ring@energychoicematters.com

Centrica, parent of Direct Energy, plans to launch not only its own smart thermostat, but its, "entire suite of Connected Home products," in the United States around the end of the year, executives said in a discussion of interim results.

EnergyChoiceMatters.com was first to report last week that in reporting interim results, Centrica said that it planned to launch its "own" smart thermostat in North America around the end of 2016. To date, Direct Energy has offered plans bundling energy supply with third-party smart thermostats, such as Nest or Honeywell

Centrica executives, in discussing results with investors, said that the company would launch additional connected home services under the same timeframe.

"We plan to launch our own smart thermostat and our entire suite of Connected Home products in the US around the end of the year," said Iain Conn, Centrica's Chief Executive

Mark Hodges, who leads Centrica's Connected Home efforts, further said that the Connected Home team is working to get the product suite developed and make it ready for North America.

"So as you know in the UK we’ve launched the bulbs, the plugs, the contact sensors, the motion sensors, the new App. We’ve got the new thermostat. So we have a kind of ecosystem and a lot of effort is going into making sure we have something that really broadens the choice that consumers have and it’s not just a thermostat deployment," Hodges said

"Beyond that we do think there are other things we can do with Connected Home. We think from a retail sales perspective into the market that people can buy the products direct. Our primary focus, I think to start with, is much more on supporting the Direct Energy and British Gas brands, but there's no doubt as we build out that ecosystem the teams are targeted with revenue growth," Hodges said

Under the Hive brand, Centrica's Connected Home services in the U.K. includes a hub allowing customers to control various Hive products or non-Hive appliances via an app on their phone, including Hive LED smart lightbulbs, Hive door and window sensors, Hive motion sensors, a Hive smart thermostat, and a Hive active plug which allows non-Hive appliances to be controlled via the app.

Hodges sees the connected home offers as reducing churn and increasing engagement

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