Press release, [embargo] Thursday 26th November 2020
BT Group and Hubbub launch pioneering project to explore the benefit of smart tech on household bills and emissions Following the UK Government’s announcement and ambition to make households greener, warmer and more energy efficient as part of the new 10 Point Plan to tackle climate change, Hubbub and BT Group today announce plans to create the Smarter Living Challenge which will help households to reduce their carbon emissions by using technology to help run their home. Over the next three months, the pioneering pilot project will work with 60 diverse households across the country, looking closely at attitudes, perceptions and behaviours around running a home. It will investigate how digital technology can help make people’s lives easier and save them money in the process, before using these case studies to inspire the UK’s largest movement of households to make positive changes at home. New consumer research which surveyed 3,000 UK adults* shows that 63% of people don’t currently use any technology to run their homes but almost a quarter (23%) said they’d use technology more if it reduced their impact on the environment. Although 61% of respondents said they are very concerned about the impact of climate change on the planet, there is a perception that leading a greener lifestyle costs money with 43% saying they think that being environmentally-conscious is expensive. Andy Wales, Chief Digital Impact and Sustainability Officer, BT Group said: “BT has led the way on climate action for over 28 years and we’ve pledged to become a net zero carbon emissions business by 2045. We also have a responsibility to help households reduce their own carbon emissions and we’re hoping to inspire action on a big scale when we reveal the outcomes of this project to the wider public in spring 2021.”
Gavin Ellis, Co-founder and Director of Hubbub said: “Our research shows that 41% of people said they’d use technology more to manage their homes if it saved them money on their bills, suggesting a need to explore exactly which technology can have a positive impact on household bills and how much money can be saved. By investigating what works for different types of households we hope to inspire the public to embrace technology in a way that works for them, helping to save money and cut carbon emissions in the home.” The collaboration is part of BT Group’s commitment to a greener recovery and sustainable future and will combine the company’s technology expertise with Hubbub’s proven track record on nudging behaviours and supporting households in taking practical steps. The project will introduce smart home devices, apps and tips to a diverse range of households from across the UK, ranging from the tech-savvy to the techno-phobe. This will include smart thermostats and radiator valves; smart lighting and plugs; apps to manage energy, food and water use and websites to compare usage and learn how to save money on bills. The group will come together as a digital community to share their experiences and help inspire each other to try something new. Experiences and case studies from the project will be used as evidence and inspiration to show how technology can make running a home easier, cheaper and reduce household carbon emissions.
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For more information contact the Hubbub team at Barley Communications: Maria Kortbech Olesen maria.kortbech@barleycommunications.co.uk 07952507270 Laura Harrison laura.harrison@barleycommunications.co.uk 07525068378
NOTES TO EDITORS • *Survey was conducted by Censuswide in November 2020 with a nationally representative sample of 3,000 UK residents over the age of 16
• 60 households have been recruited to take part in the initial 3-month trial. Half are members of the general public and half are BT Group employees. They broadly represent the diversity of the UK population and have a wide range of abilities, interest in and behaviours when it comes to using technology to manage their home.
• As part of the transition to a low carbon business model, BT has pledged to become a net
zero carbon emissions business by 2045 and has set targets in line with the most ambitious aim of the COP21 Paris Agreement - linking its targets to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
• Since 2016/17, BT has reduced the carbon emissions intensity of its operations by 42% and has reduced carbon emissions by 8% in its supply chain over the same timeframe.
• In June 2020, BT pledged its support for a green recovery launching two new initiatives; the Green Tech Innovation Platform and the UK Electric Fleets Coalition.
• BT including Openreach has the second largest commercial fleet in the UK with around 33,000 vehicles.
• Together with The Climate Group, we’ve called on the UK Government to target 100%
electric car and van sales by 2030; extend grants for electric vehicles and charging points through to at least 2023 and speed up the rollout of public charge-points across the country.
• Despite the uncertainty, we’re investing in the UK’s digital future - announcing a once-
in-a-generation investment in full fibre broadband to 20 million premises and continued investment in 5G mobile.
• For more information about BT’s work on Digital Impact and Sustainability please visit: https://www.bt.com/about/digital-impact-and-sustainability
• Our Digital Impact and Sustainability report for 2019/20 can be found here: http://www.bt.com/annualreview
ABOUT HUBBUB Hubbub is an award-winning charity and social enterprise that inspires ways of living that are good for the environment - disrupting the status quo to raise awareness, nudge behaviours and shape systems. Their aim is to revolutionise communications with the public about environmental issues - using everyday language and good design to make environmental actions desirable and tapping into things people are passionate about such as food, fashion, homes and neighbourhoods. This innovative approach saw Hubbub win the Charity of the Year Award at the prestigious Charity Times Awards in 2020. Since its formation in 2014, Hubbub has delivered more than 60 trailblazing environmental campaigns in collaboration with over 700 partners, helping to shift the national debate on key environmental issues such as food waste, sustainable fashion, air pollution and recycling. Hubbub’s campaigns include #LeedsByExample which brought together 25 of the UK’s largest companies to boost recycling on the high street, a 3-year partnership with IKEA to create the world’s largest consumer-facing sustainability campaign ‘Live Lagom’ and creating a Network of 100 Community Fridges across the UK, each redistributing on average 1.5 tonnes of food every month that would otherwise have gone to waste. https://www.hubbub.org.uk/ Twitter: @hubbubuk Facebook: @HubbubUK Instagram: @helloHubbub LinkedIn: Hubbub-UK
ABOUT BT BT Group is the UK’s leading telecommunications and network provider and a leading provider of global communications services and solutions, serving customers in 180 countries. Its principal activities in the UK include the provision of fixed voice, mobile, broadband and TV (including Sport) and a range of products and services over converged fixed and mobile networks to consumer, business and public sector customers. For its global customers, BT provides managed services, security and network and IT infrastructure services to support their operations all over the world. BT consists of four customer-facing units: Consumer, Enterprise, Global and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Openreach, which provides access network services to over 650 communications provider customers who sell phone, broadband and Ethernet services to homes and businesses across the UK. For the year ended 31 March 2020, BT Group’s reported revenue was £22,905m with reported profit before taxation of £2,353m. British Telecommunications plc is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange. For more information, visit www.bt.com/about