British Gas has demonstrated its commitment to bringing innovative products and services to homes in the UK, inviting 26 startups to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges representing Venture Capitalists, British Gas executives, and internet entrepreneur Martha Lane-Fox.
The winner, which now receives £30,000 and the opportunity to trial its idea with British Gas customers, was MyJoulo. The product, created by Reuben Wilcock and Alex Rogers, combines a low-cost temperature logger with smart algorithms to deliver personalised home heating analysis and advice via the internet. In second place was Open Utility, a peer-to-peer energy marketplace, receiving £10,000; and in third place was OpenTRV, a product to enable heating rooms to different temperatures, receiving £5,000.
The British Gas Connected Homes Startup Showcase took place in London last week. It followed the launch of a new brand, Hive, by British Gas, dedicated to creating internet-enabled technology products and services that give people greater flexibility and control of their energy use. Alongside the launch of the brand, its first product was unveiled, Hive Active Heating™, a service that lets people control their heating and hot water remotely from a smartphone, tablet, SMS, or via a website.
Nina Bhatia, Managing Director British Gas Connected Homes, said:
“Events like the British Gas Connecting Homes Startup Showcase are all about working with start ups to turn the vision of the Connected Home – where devices talk to each other or to people via the internet – into a reality for households in the UK. While we are increasingly relying on technology to manage many aspects of our lives, from booking holidays to paying for parking, we haven’t seen that same transformation in the way we use energy in our homes. Startups have some really innovative ideas and the winner of the competition MyJoulo has created a product that will help people to understand their energy use in a simple way. Congratulations to Reuben and Alex from MyJoulo on their achievement.”
Senior judge at the competition and the UK’s digital champion, Martha Lane-Fox said:
“The connected home is a market that British entrepreneurs must be part of. This event was about just some of the startups at the forefront of this, which will transform the way we run our lives. It’s heartening to see an established company like British Gas take such an enlightened view on the benefit of supporting innovation from newer, smaller businesses in making smart devices that will help people understand how they use and control energy and be more energy efficient.”
Reuben Wilcock from MyJoulo said:
“We’re delighted to have been selected as the winner of the British Gas Connecting Homes Startup Showcase and are very grateful to British Gas for having given this platform to startups like ours. MyJoulo aims to give people easily understandable energy advice and we’re looking forward to bringing this to millions of customers in the UK.”