South East Water Partners with Centrica Hive to Improve Water Use Understanding and Reduce Leaks in the Home
South East Water and Centrica Hive, the largest smart home technology provider in the UK, have today announced the first domestic household water supplier partnership that will see 800 South East Water customers given access to Hive’s innovative Leak Sensor device – that not only detects possible leaks but will also provide customers with useful water usage insights.
The Hive Leak Sensor is designed to monitor use and proactively detect potential leaks, and notify customers of any unusual flows via the innovative Hive app. The sensor is easy to fit and works by monitoring water usage and uses cutting-edge learning algorithms to detect anomalous flows in customer households.
The average water damage claim in the UK is £25,000, so the sensor will help avoid costly repairs by allowing customers to detect drips before they become leaks giving them peace of mind.
When the Leak Sensor detects an unusual flow of water, the Hive app will lead customers through a seamless troubleshooting journey. This allows them to confirm if the flow was due to their own water use or whether it is a potential leak.
For South East Water, the partnership is also a positive and proactive step to realise their leak reduction target of 15 per cent. The additional benefit of the Hive platform is that customers will receive insight about their water usage, which South East Water hope will give customers more control over their water use – something many customers said they wanted during research for the water company’s latest business plan.
David Hinton, South East Water, Asset and Regulation Director said: "As the number of smart devices people use in their homes increases people have more control than ever before and can make changes to reduce their own water consumption. The ultimate goal is not only to reduce leaks in our network and reduce consumption of water, but to also improve customer satisfaction by finding new ways to engage with our customers.”
Claire Miles, Managing Director, Centrica Hive, said: "This is another first for Hive and a hugely exciting opportunity for us to enter into a partnership with a domestic water provider like South East Water. This enables us to provide solutions like Leak, where we can stop a drip becoming a far bigger problem for even more customers using our smart home technology. It’s all about giving customers peace of mind and making everyday life a little easier."
The water company will be seeking 800 customers to be part of a trial programme in the New Year. If successful more of South East Water’s 2.2 million customers may be able to access the innovative device in the future too.