British Gas — DAVE MULLEN

With over 7 million customers British Gas is a leader in the highly competitive UK energy market. Rising customer expectations, and the broader shift towards low-carbon energy market mean that a best in class digital experience is essential to stay competitive as customers struggle with higher energy costs. I was invited to join the British Gas design team to launch a new smart meter data driven service.

THE CHALLENGE

Design an energy usage service enabling customers to better understand their energy costs, compare tariffs, and make informed decisions on investing in net zero technologies such as solar and heat pumps. The experience needed to work across web and mobile app channels and handle the complexity of time of use tariffs, allowing customers to benefit from cheaper electricity at ‘off-peak’ times when demand is low.

THE OUTCOME

Customers with smart meters who opt-in to share their half-hourly usage data gain access to the new energy usage service. Once a customer account is activated they are able to see their gas and electricity usage presented in a simple to use interactive tool. The ability to switch views between day, week, month and year helps customers check they’ve been billed correctly and identify potential opportunities to save. I led research to inform the product roadmap using customer surveys and remote and in-person interviews to explore customer needs in relation to usage data.

Following successful launches in the web and mobile app channels I worked with my product team to identify, design and release feature enhancements. Iterative improvements included year to year comparison and the ability to see a more granular breakdown of energy charges. Another major milestone was the ability for EV Tariff customers to identify their ‘peak’ and ‘off-peak’ usage and receive a monthly summary of the amount they have saved by charging their car during the cheaper overnight tariff period.