British Gas Developing App That Can Turn Off Appliances

An app that can tell you if you've left the stove on.

There's nothing worse than going out and not being able to remember if you've switched everything off before leaving the house. According to British Gas, a massive 80 percent of Britons have turned around and gone home to make sure they've switched off an appliance they fear they've left on. Additionally, more than 30 million British people suffer from "appliance anxiety," with the majority spending up to 85 minutes per week worrying they've left something on. The gas and electrical company wants to find a solution for this very widespread issue and is considering a few high tech solutions.

Pocket-Lint reports that one of these is a smart meter that allows you to manage your energy supply in real time. Thanks to a traffic light system, the meter can tell you when appliances are using high amounts of energy and allows you to set energy goals for yourself. However, the more interesting option is a smartphone application that allows you to control your heating, as well as switch off appliances that are left plugged in or switched on.

British Gas is currently testing the application, which will give users the ability to remotely control their heating and switch off appliances, and hopes to make it available to its customers sometime next year. The company announced its plans to develop these new solutions after releasing the findings of a survey conducted on its behalf by YouGov.