Centrica Builds on Electric Vehicle (EV) Offer with Home Charging Installations
- British Gas engineers retrain to meet growing demand for EV
- Centrica also commits to 100% electric fleet by 2030 and joins EV100
LONDON, July 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Centrica has announced the expansion of its digital service, Local Heroes, to offer homeowners electric vehicle (EV) charging installations.
Designed to help people find trusted local tradespeople, the British Gas backed service hopes to gain around 10-15% market share of all domestic charge point installations in the UK, helping users to pick their charger and unlock government grants towards the cost. The company is training its smart meter engineers to help meet the growing demand for home chargers, much of which is expected to come via the Local Heroes application process.
Building on the launch of its Responsible Business Ambitions earlier this year, Centrica has also today joined EV100, a global initiative by the Climate Group, which brings together companies committed to accelerating the transition to electric vehicles. As the owner of the third largest commercial fleet in the country, Centrica has committed to electrify its 12,500-strong fleet of vehicles by 2030, having already racked up over one million electric miles over the last five years.
Dave Kirwan, Managing Director UK Home at Centrica said: "British Gas already offers time of use tariffs for electric vehicle owners, so they can benefit from cheaper electricity off peak and we can now also help consumers find a cost effective and efficient way to install their electric vehicle charger.
"We are committed to this market and so made the decision to upskill our engineering workforce in preparation for the shift to electric vehicles. We were one of the first to start installing domestic charge points and are a preferred supplier for the large car manufacturers."
The Local Heroes digital service will help customers identify what type of charger they need for their home and find a trusted tradesperson to install it. All work that is undertaken is backed by a 12-month British Gas guarantee and the chargers are covered by a three-year manufacturer warranty. Customers will need to complete a quick digital survey which allows the engineer to understand what parts and labour are required for the install, without the majority needing a physical visit to the customer's home. The OLEV grant application is done on behalf of eligible customers which means the cost of installs start from £249.
The home charging offer follows the launch of a package of solutions from Centrica Business Solutions designed to help businesses tackle the challenges of the EV transition, which could require up to 18GW of additional power by 2050, equivalent to an extra 30% on top of the country's current peak demand.
Notes to Editors:
- It is forecast that 85,000 electric vehicles will be sold in 2019 and by 2030 there will be over 5m electric vehicles on the road.
- Centrica plc is an international energy and services company. Our purpose is to provide energy and services to satisfy the changing needs of our customers. We've been serving customers for over 200 years and aim to be at the centre of their daily lives - central to helping them run their world.
- We believe that the electrification of transport will be fundamental to global decarbonisation efforts and are committed to working with customers and partners to drive progress in this space.
- This year, Centrica has published its Responsible Business Ambitions, focussing on four key areas: customers; climate change; colleagues; and the communities in which Centrica operates.
- As part of this, we aim to help customers reduce their emissions by 25%, directly contributing 3% via our products and services, which is equivalent to the annual emissions of 2.5 million UK homes.
- We also aim to reduce our own internal emissions by 35% in the ten years to 2025 and, by 2030, demonstrate that we are on track with Paris, and develop a path to net zero by 2050.
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