“Sustainability isn’t just about carbon footprint, it’s about creating communities that are sustainable for residents, so they can adopt the stewardship, and the place can adapt and evolve with them over time.”

Smart, sustainable homes are part of something bigger: liveability. Design for community, and technology becomes a quiet enabler of a ‘life uninterrupted’.

“You can’t just tell people to use less energy — you have to show them how and why it matters,” he explains. “When technology is simple and savings are tangible, people start to engage. And once they engage, real change happens.”

It’s a utility perspective grounded in everyday practicality, which is focused on making energy efficiency intuitive, achievable, and a seamless part of how people live.

Samsung is working with Eco-Bos to create communities that are energy efficient by design, as well as British Gas, to enable customers to better manage their energy consumption. Here, both share their insights on how smart technology is helping to shape a more sustainable future in the UK.

Design for long-term savings

That journey might begin with something as simple as a “goodnight” routine that powers down the home, or a tariff that’s optimised for individual assets like an EV or heat pump. Smart home apps, such as Samsung’s SmartThings, are using AI to learn from usage patterns and suggest more efficient habits that help households lower their consumption without affecting daily life.

James agrees that people have become increasingly aware of how technology can help them save time and money. With access to the right information and guidance, they are more than willing to engage with their energy use.

“What really sparks people’s interest is being able to see their own data – how much energy they’ve consumed on a given day, for example, or how much their solar panels have generated,” he explains. “Understanding their habits and how they can modify them to reduce their energy bills is very appealing.” This visibility creates a sense of control. When people can see how their actions impact their bills, they are more likely to change their behaviour.

The collaboration between Samsung and British Gas is designed to empower residents to do just that. By integrating the British Gas PeakSave programme into Samsung’s SmartThings Energy, users can receive alerts when demand is lower and energy is cheaper, and can adapt their home’s usage accordingly. Appliances can be programmed to run at optimal times, helping households save on bills, while at the same time easing strain on the grid. It’s a move towards energy use that’s not just efficient but intelligent, supplying residents with knowledge that’s easy to act on.

While it may not be realistic to expect consumers to adopt every smart technology at once, developers can make environmentally conscious choices more appealing by keeping it intuitive, integrated, and clearly linked to cost savings.

Eco-Bos’ West Carclaze Garden Village development in Cornwall¹, for example, boasts homes where owners can generate a profit of up to £1,779, based on SAP (Standard Assessment Procedure) calculations as outlined in the Predictive Energy Assessment from the Elmhurst Energy Report. For comparison, the average UK household electricity and gas bill is approximately £1,719.45² per year, highlighting the potential for significant financial savings of up to £3,498 per year.

Don’t wait for regulation to build smarter

While UK legislation like the 2025 Future Homes and Buildings Standards³ and Part L of the Building Regulations⁴ is undoubtedly helping the construction industry to adopt more sustainable building practices, progress is slow and there is no government-led innovation hub that leads on sustainability or supports R&D for next-generation construction methods yet.

“When it comes to sustainability, developers are being led by legislation, rather than innovation,” says Dorian. “The onus is therefore on us – as developers – to seek out and work with innovators, in order to continue evolving our building methodologies in line with the latest technologies and consumer expectations.”

It’s an approach that’s already reaping rewards for Eco-Bos residents. Each home is equipped with Samsung technologies including an air source heat pump, a climate hub, solar panels, Q Cells batteries and inverters as well as home appliances as standard, all managed through Samsung’s SmartThings⁵ platform.

“Eco-Bos homes are carbon positive in operation, meaning they produce more clean, green energy than they consume,” explains Dorian. “What’s more, by mapping devices to zones of the house, SmartThings Energy gives residents thermostatic control in every room through the app, so they can easily see how much energy they are using or how much solar is being generated and stored.”

Residents also benefit from SmartThings’ AI Energy Mode, which automatically switches appliances to energy-saving settings to reduce their energy use by up to 20%⁶. The result is a smarter, more efficient home that helps households stay within their consumption goals.

However, it’s not only legislation or consumer demand that is dictating the need to build more sustainably, but the equally pressing issue of our changing climate.

“For each one degree increase in the global temperature, the atmosphere can hold about seven percent more moisture⁷, which can lead to more concentrated rainfall. In the UK, this has resulted in more frequent and severe flooding incidents,” explains Dorian. “Smart home technology isn’t the future, it’s available right now. We must take advantage of innovation and share knowledge, to mitigate against these types of emerging risks and achieve our climate goals.”

With the average UK home producing approximately 6 tonnes of carbon a year⁸, compared to an Eco-Bos home that offsets up to 9.82 tonnes, it’s clear that building with energy efficiency in mind could significantly contribute to helping the UK reach its net zero goals⁹.

As part of this shift, the way homes are powered is changing too. “The UK’s energy mix has evolved considerably,” says James, “moving away from coal and oil to greener sources like wind and solar.” But, as he points out, “getting the balance right” is still essential – particularly on days when renewables can’t meet demand. Smarter, more efficient homes are part of that balancing act, helping reduce strain on the grid, while cutting household emissions at the same time.

Make it Easy, Make it Connected

As developers and utilities respond to advances in energy and technology, a new generation of smart, sustainable connectivity is taking shape.

An example of this is the integration of British Gas’ Hive smart home solutions with Samsung’s SmartThings platform, to give residents a more seamless way to manage everything from heating and lighting to connected appliances, through a single app. Installing a British Gas Hive thermostat can save households up to £175 a year.¹⁰

As an open ecosystem, SmartThings supports over 350 brands and connects more than 147 million devices globally, providing a flexible, scalable foundation that developers can tailor to each house or flat, based on residents’ needs, and continually adapt as those needs evolve.

For developers managing multiple houses or larger apartment buildings, Samsung’s SmartThings Pro solution offers a more efficient way to coordinate and monitor technologies across properties. It’s compatible with leading IoT solutions from ABB and Jung, supporting a wide range of existing systems and helping streamline energy management.

By prioritising open, integrated ecosystems, developers can offer residents a better everyday experience, while reducing management overheads, and build homes that are smarter and simpler.

“With a cohesive approach to how we build more sustainably, we as an industry can provide homes that are truly fit for the future,” sums up Dorian.

Build Tomorrow’s Homes Today

As one of the world’s leading consumer technology brands, Samsung works with developer and construction companies to help make their projects and properties smarter and more energy efficient.

Speak to our team to explore how we can support your next development.