Thank You
Support from External Funders
Since it was established in 2018, Connected Response has received financial and commercial support from a variety of external funding agencies. Funders have included:
Innovate UK
During the first lockdown in 2020, Connected Response won a Covid-19 grant that enabled us to add additional comms functionality to our Smart Controller. This development complemented our core Zigbee Mesh solution for high density housing.
We now a suite of comms alternatives including GSM, LoRa radio and NBIoT.
Energy Redress
Connected Response participated with multiple partners in the ‘Levelling the Renewable Energy Playing Field’ project in which we developed, and received approvals for a Consumer Access Device (CAD) to read smart meters in real time, thereby facilitating greater local use of local energy.
BEIS
Connected Response has been part of a Smart Energy Savings project, working with Energy Local, Repowering and Octopus Energy.
Energy Local transforms the electricity market for communities and small-scale renewable generators by helping communities get more value from small-scale renewable generation by consuming the electricity generated in the local area.
CARES
In 2020, Connected Response supported ALIenergy in Oban in preparing a feasibility study regarding the installation of smart charging controls in 90 homes. Funding support was provided from the CARES fund administered by Local Energy Scotland. Full project implementation is planned for mid-2021.
ALIenergy’s mission is to promote sustainable energy use and renewable energy generation, to address fuel poverty, and to reduce carbon emissions.
Energy Systems Catapult
During the summer of 2020, Connected Response was selected by the Energy Systems Catapult to benefit from its Innovator Support Platform (now known as Energy Launchpad).
Energy Launchpad involved participating in a range of support workstreams applicable to the development status of each participating company. We chose to access the Catapult’s Consumer Insight team to help us better understand our market sector and target customers, both landlords and residents.
Part of our focus was to consider how customers might choose to access Heat-as-a-Service using Connected Response technology. Additional advice was provided by the specialist Stronger Stories and Investor Readiness teams. The advice was tailored to help businesses improve how they ‘tell their story’ to the media and to potential investors. It was an intense few months, but very rewarding.
EDF Pulse Innovation Challenge - Winners
Back in November 2020, Connected Response took part in the final of the EDF Pulse Innovation Challenge. We were delighted to be selected as winners by the judging panel that included EDF team members, national and international, and academic partners.
The application process had started earlier in the summer of 2020. Connected Response was in competition with start-ups from across the UK, all focused on developing innovative heating solutions.
Winning the EDF Pulse Innovation Challenge has given us a great opportunity to build on the relationship with EDF which began as we worked together to support the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea on the Trellick Tower project.
A short introductory video formed part of the challenge submission. You can watch the video by clicking on this link.
