Member News: Say goodbye to estimated energy bills as British Gas launch EnergySmart
Article Date: 1st Dec 2009
British Gas today launch EnergySmart, a new online service designed and developed by the award winning top 10 digital and brand agency, Rufus Leonard. EnergySmart gives customers the choice to pay only for the energy they use, for the first time. British Gas is the first major energy supplier to address customers’ concerns about estimated bills head on, and the launch of EnergySmart marks the beginning of the end for estimated energy bills in the UK.
The EnergySmart experience is designed and developed by Rufus Leonard and the internal development team at British Gas (BGIS) to help put its customers back in control of their energy bills, it is a free service which will give people complete transparency over their energy consumption and costs each month. Customers provide their gas and electricity meter readings online or by text once a month – and they only pay for exactly what they’ve used. Additionally Rufus Leonard has designed a Consumption Hub which allows customers to compare usage to previous years and help predict the next bill.
Every British Gas customer signing up to EnergySmart will receive a free electricity cost monitor (retail value of £35), which empowers people to see exactly how much electricity their appliances are using in real time. Evidence from early trials suggests that customers using the new EnergySmart service and the electricity monitor to see their electricity usage in real time could reduce their energy consumption by 12 per cent, equating to an average bill saving of over £110 per year. And dual fuel customers signing up to EnergySmart for a full year will earn a further £40 loyalty bonus to be credited to their account.
Benjamin Braun, Head of Online Services at British Gas said; “Estimated bills are one of the biggest dissatisfiers amongst customers. With EnergySmart customers can say goodbye to estimated bills and only pay for what they use by monthly accurate billing. We are committed to provide customers with tools to understand, control and manage their energy consumption online and by text.
Neil Svensen founder and CEO of Rufus Leonard said, “EnergySmart gives customers a brand new way of managing their energy usage and bills. It will dramatically change the way customers interact with their energy account in the same way that online banking or self-service check-in has for airlines.”
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Notes to editors:
About Rufus Leonard
Rufus Leonard is an award-winning top 10 digital and brand agency. Founded in 1989 by Neil Svensen, Rufus Leonard now employs over 90 people specialising in digital and brand strategy and communications. The London office is based in Farringdon. The Middle East office based in Dubai Media City opened in March 2008. Clients include: Lloyds TSB, O2, British Gas, COI, TfL, Greater London Authority and Churchill. For more information about Rufus Leonard, our people and culture, go to www.rufusleonard.com.
Contacts
Deborah Simpson, Public Relations
Deborah.simpson@rufusleonard.com
Tel 0207 404 4490 or 07812 353 463
Julie Randall, Head of Sales and Marketing
Julie.randall@rufusleonard.com
Tel: +44 207 404 4490
About Energy Smart
For further information on EnergySmart please contact Depali Sanghvi or Charlotte Jones at Blue Rubicon (for British Gas) on Depali.sanghvi@bluerubicon.com / charlotte.jones@bluerubicon.com or 0207 260 2700.
In October 2009, YouGov polled 3,000 British Gas customers on their frustrations with energy companies.
• 66% listed their primary frustration as ‘lending money to my energy supplier when they over-estimate the energy I’ve used’;
• 57% said they were frustrated by ‘the fact that when my bill is estimated it isn’t based on the energy I actually used and is out of my control’.
EnergySmart is a direct response to these customer frustrations
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