Connected Response has won the Small Regional Project of the Year Award 2026 at the Energy Efficiency Awards for its work with Newcastle City Council on the Vale House Smart Storage Heating Retrofit Project.

Vale House is a residential tower bock in the heart of Newcastle. Working closely with Vale House residents in an engagement programme of consultation and education, Connected Response retrofitted its HeatSage smart electric heating controls in 106 flats.

A wireless network was created within the block, connected to a 4G Gateway, to provide reliable and cost-effective connectivity without relying on residents’ home broadband or requiring multiple SIM cards.

A simple load switch and temperature sensor were installed in each flat, with installation typically being completed within just one hour to keep disturbance to a minimum.

The HeatSage system considered what the residents’ desired comfort levels were – i.e. what temperature they needed – and worked out the energy demand required using live weather data. So, for example, if tomorrow was going to be 10 degrees, the resident might not need a full overnight charge, so the HeatSage system reduced the charge resulting in less energy demand and lower costs, whilst maintaining the residents’ comfort level.

It’s simple but effective; instead of charging all night every night, HeatSage dynamically charges storage heaters for shorter times later in the off-peak charging window so that heat is provided when it is most needed.

HeatSage can also work with new modern flexible tariffs that provide more off-peak charging windows through the day, so that residents are never left without heat, never have to use expensive supplementary heating, and are not left cold.

Receiving the EEA Award from the sponsor, Eden Energy Management, was Nick Huston, Head of Development at Connected Response. Nick was joined on stage by Kenny Cameron, Felix Wight, Toby Hocking, Craig Cockburn and Alison Beedie from the Connected Response team, Paul McGhee and Simon Kemp FRSA from Warmworks, and Colin White and Debra Lagun from Newcastle City Council.

The photographer was Jason Mitchell – Multi Award Winning Event Photographer.