Beth Carlin – Project Officer

Bethany (Beth) joined the Connected Response team in February 2023 as a Project Officer. Beth’s initial focus is on customer engagement and business development.

From a customer engagement perspective, activities include visiting tenants and listening to their heating and hot water experiences before and after the installation of Connected Response’s HeatSage technology.

In terms of business development, Beth is looking to identify potential new market opportunities for Connected Response. In particular, Beth is looking to leverage the data generated by a project funded by the Energy Systems Catapult. The project sought to identify the location and ownership of properties with electric storage heating across England and Wales.

Beth joined Connected Response via the Warmworks ‘Warmstart’ scheme, an initiative to encourage young people and graduates into careers focussed on alleviating fuel poverty and helping society transition to a net zero future.

Prior to starting at Connected Response, Beth gained a degree in Geography and an MRes (research masters) in Criminology from the University of Glasgow. Her geography degree included studying the human and environmental impact of climate change:

‘People deserve to have adequate heating and hot water. I am delighted, through my work with Connected Response, to have the opportunity to play a part in alleviating fuel poverty for some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

Although I have only been with Connected Response for a short period of time, I am already far more aware of the actions we can take as individuals to make better decisions about the energy we use. It comes down to being more mindful about our behaviours and the impact they have.

Going forward, I would love to have the opportunity to manage a major project such as the one we are undertaking for Wheatley Homes Glasgow. There is also huge scope for Connected Response technology in helping to optimise the benefits of green energy generation such as wind power.’

Outside work, Beth is a longstanding volunteer with the Boys’ Brigade, a faith-based organisation similar to the Scouts, that provides young people with out-of-school activities.

Beth’s MRes Criminology focussed primarily on the mental health issues associated with drug taking in prisons. Her research involved talking to staff and prisoners at HMP Shotts and HMP Barlinnie, the largest prison in Scotland. After that experience, researching the impact of Connected Response technology on social housing residents should be relatively straightforward!

Beth’s Recommendation:

‘I’m a big music fan. I recommend the album, ‘Walk across the rooftops’ by The Blue Nile, a Scottish band from Glasgow that was active in the 1980s and 1990s.’