British Gas led the connected thermostat revolution, and now it's brought a new innovation to the table - connected boilers.
And while connected thermostats are simply a 'quite useful' addition to your home, this boiler is an absolute necessity in our eyes.
Boiler IQ identifies problems with your boiler and reports those issues via Wi-Fi to British Gas.
You'll get a text with the option to book an engineer visit. Because the engineer already knows what's wrong they can bring the correct part with them on the first visit (negating the need for return visits).
That means you need to take less time off work, and British Gas streamlines it's operation - win win.
A trial of more than 4 billion individual boilers messages shows that Boiler IQ identifies faults, on average, 19-24 hours before a customer does, with a 95-percent accuracy.
Ex-NASA scientist, Adi Andrei, who worked on the project, explained, “Boiler IQ works via multiple sensors that record data. It's the same principle used to detect problems in aircraft. Hive Active Heating, British Gas' popular connected home app, then sends us the data."
Boiler IQ is is available to new and existing British Gas HomeCare customers with an eligible Worcester Bosch system.
The cost of installation is £49 with a £3 monthly chargeadded to your existing HomeCare plan. There are, currently, various deals available, where you can get some charges waivered.
At the moment, British Gas will prioritisevenerable customers, but in the future, it could use IQ data to prioritisemore serious faults.
It's a great idea, we only wish it didn't come with that extra monthly cost - because really, it benefits British Gas just as much as the customer.
