NEW YORK – Leading U.K. smart home brand Hive today introduced Hive Welcome Home, a set of subscription-based smart home service plans that will be available to customers in the United States and United Kingdom, with Canada and Ireland to follow over the coming months.
Designed with a mix of software, products and services to enable people to adjust the temperature, lighting and appliances in their home from wherever they are, Hive Welcome Home delivers a hassle-free exit in the morning and a welcoming experience for customers as they walk in the door at night.
The multi-market rollout of the Hive experience is backed by a £500m investment from parent company Centrica. The global business aspiration behind the move is to make the smart home simple, affordable and accessible for everyone, through low monthly subscription rates and complete solutions designed to make life easier. The Hive subscription model ensures that customers receive ongoing service and support for all their smart home needs, for as long as they need it.
As the first set of Hive subscription plans, various levels of Hive Welcome Home will be available in individual markets to meet specific consumer needs, whether they are just getting started with smart home technology or looking to outfit an entire home. Customers do not have to pay high upfront device fees and Hive Welcome Home’s easy, self-install approach lets users immediately experience smart home benefits.
“We’re excited to debut Hive Welcome Home, specifically designed to make a meaningful difference in our customers’ daily lives,” said Nina Bhatia, Managing Director of Centrica Connected Home, the business behind the Hive brand. “Whether you’re wanting your home to be a haven of relaxation as soon as you walk in the door or you’re just trying to get the family out of the house with minimum fuss in the morning, the Hive experience frees you to focus on the people and things you care about.”
In the U.S., Hive Welcome Home subscription plans are available from June 7, 2017. As part of the subscription, customers will receive access to the Hive mobile app to control their home remotely through schedules and notifications, on-demand customer service and an ongoing warranty. The Hive team will also be introducing various other plan benefits, such as mimic mode and advanced Hive Actions, designed to give people the ability to customize their Hive experience, further down the line.
U.S. customers have three levels of plan to choose from:
Hive Welcome Home Starter
o Cost: $9.99 per month
o Included:
- Hive Hub
- Hive Active PlugTM
- Hive Window or Door Sensors [2]
- Hive Active LightTM Warm to Cool White [2]
Hive Welcome Home Standard
o Cost: $24.99 per month
o Included:
- Hive Hub
- Hive Active ThermostatTM
- Hive Active PlugTM [2]
- Hive Window or Door Sensors [2]
- Hive Active LightTM Warm to Cool White [4]
- Hive Motion Sensor
Hive Welcome Home Premium
o Price: $39.99 per month
o Included:
- Hive Hub
- Hive Active ThermostatTM [2]
- Hive Active PlugTM [3]
- Hive Window or Door Sensors [4]
- Hive Active LightTM Warm to Cool White [8]
- Hive Motion Sensor [2]
For consumers in the U.S. who are keen to purchase Hive Welcome Home prior to June availability, a special offer is available from May 10, 2010 to June 6, 2017. This special offer plan includes a Hive Hub, Hive Active ThermostatTM, Hive Active PlugTM, Hive Window or Door Sensors [2] and Hive Active LightTM Dimmable Warm White bulbs [2]. The subscription costs $16.99 per month, customers pay two months upfront, receiving an introductory special offer of 15% off of those two months. Customers may later upgrade to a larger plan once available in June.
Following the rollout of Hive Welcome Home, additional subscription plans, all designed to meet different consumer needs and use cases, will be made available throughout 2017 and beyond.
“The smart home market is anticipated to reach $40-58 billion by 2020 and the Hive experience is well-positioned to capture significant market share in North America with our customer-led approach,” said Roy Vella, Vice President of Centrica Connected Home, North America. “Deployed in more than half a million U.K. homes, we’re using our knowledge of our customers’ needs to design an exciting pipeline of packages and products that will roll out over the next year. Starting with Hive Welcome Home, we want to give everyone, from the tech savvy to the technophobic, simple, reliable and affordable ways in to experiencing the benefits of having a smart home.”
Hive Welcome Home plans are available for purchase online. Customers sign up for a 24 month commitment period, cancellation charges apply.
For more information on how to order the Hive Welcome Home Plan, visit: www.hivehome.com.
About Hive Welcome Home US
There is a 30 day cooling off period on signing up to Hive Welcome Home. If cancelling the commitment early, customers pay 75% of the remaining contract value.
The Hive product portfolio includes:
- Hive Hub – the Hive Hub plugs into a broadband router to see and control the Hive ecosystem from a smartphone, tablet or laptop
- Hive Active ThermostatTM – A clever way to control heating and cooling
- Hive Active Light™ – Switch lights on and off, set schedules, and dim lights from a smartphone with Hive Active Light™ bulbs
- Hive Active PlugTM – Turn electrical appliances like an iron, radio or lamp on and off, from anywhere at anytime
- Hive Window or Door Sensors – Clever wireless sensors send alerts to a smartphone if windows or doors are opened or closed
- Hive Motion Sensor – Detect motion in your home with infra-red technology and receive alerts directly to you.
About the Hive Experience and Centrica Connected Home
The Hive smart home experience is focused on making everyday life a little easier, freeing people up to spend time doing the things they love. Through subscription-based plans, which include a mix of software, products and services, the Hive experience is designed to offer affordable, easy to use solutions designed around specific use cases to help make a difference in people’s lives. The team behind the Hive brand is Centrica Connected Home, a global business unit built on existing expertise in the United Kingdom. Parent company Centrica plc is investing £500m to take the market-leading Hive smart home experience global.
About Centrica plc
Centrica plc is an international energy and services company organised around two global customer-facing divisions, Centrica Consumer and Centrica Business, focused on the residential consumer and the business customer respectively. Centrica’s areas of focus are Energy Supply & Services, Connected Home, Distributed Energy & Power, Energy Marketing & Trading and the optimisation around Central Power Generation. We develop new and innovative products and services for customers globally and supply around 28 million customer accounts mainly in the UK, Ireland and North America through strong brands such as British Gas, Direct Energy and Bord Gáis, supported by around 12,000 engineers and technicians.
