People distrust Google, says smart energy rival

The digital thermostat company Tado has claimed some customers are shying away from rival Google’s Nest because they fear the internet giant is amassing too much information about them

Christian Deilmann, the chief executive of Tado, said: “Google being in the household of the consumer and collecting even more data is for some people questionable. There are a lot of people who choose Tado because they want an independent player.”

Tado, which makes internet-connected devices that allow customers to control heating and cooling appliances, is one of a number of start-ups in the sector.

Nest was bought by Google for $3.2bn (£1.9bn) in February. Its founder, Tony Fadell, has insisted there is no “commingling of data” with the rest of Google. Other entrants include British Gas’s Hive.

Britain’s “Big Six” energy giants are eager to introduce technology to help customers to monitor their usage. Mr Deilmann said a £249 Tado heating control device will save the same amount in fuel in “less than a year”.

He suggested energy providers such as NPower, which has done a deal with Nest, need an external partner because “the credibility of an energy company to sell energy savings is questionable” after soaring prices.

He founded Tado in Germany in 2012 and launched in the UK last year.