SSE and Dixons Carphone to offer home services to 10 million households

Energy company SSE and Dixons Carphone are partnering to offer home services to a combined customer base of around 10 million households.

The two brands said the move will give customers access to support for managing their homes, based on Dixons' honeyBee technology connectivity platform and supported by a 4,000-strong workforce of engineers and technical advisers and 1,200 stores.

The companies said the service was not just about technology but was a mainstream offer to British households wanting to control connected devices in the home, buy recommended products, arrange installation of smart thermostats or security systems, buy insurance and get help with technical and maintenance issues.

The companies will trial the partnership with their customers from Spring next year ahead of a full launch.

They said the service would be free, but customers will be able to add in products to their packages at an incremental cost.

SSE, which is also a phone and broadband provider and sells cover for boilers, heating and electrical wiring, said the move was about meeting customers' needs for a simple, flexible way to manage and maintain their homes.

Will Morris, SSE's managing director of retail, said: "This is another big step on our journey towards becoming a market-leading retailer of energy and essential services, by digitising and diversifying our business and consistently delighting our customers."

Dixons Carphone deputy chief executive Andrew Harrison said: "We live in an increasingly connected world, where keeping our devices working at home, at work and on the move, with busy family and professional lives can be a minefield.

"We're all used to doing a lot online, like booking a taxi or ordering groceries, but the home still seems a little bit too complicated. We think our customers want single point solutions and an end-to-end solution for whatever product they want to buy."