News, Awards & Announcements

Green Energy Options have teamed up with the Save It Project in Newcastle to help the Rhodes family gain a unigue insight into how much they are spending on their energy.

A GEO team visited the family home in Monkseaton to install the Trio+ system, which will monitor the families appliances, electric circuits and heating. Over the coming months, the GEO system will provide an incredible wealth of information which will allow the family to attempt to become more efficient in their energy use.

The Journal will be reporting regular updates their progress. For the full story please click here. 

GEO have been working closely with Swavesey Village College (SVC) to install and monitor their energy usage. We have spent the last few months, together with the school, deciding on the best way to incorporate the system into the 2008/2009 curriculum. The school energy project will be run by the pupils with guidance from us at GEO and the staff at SVC.

Green Energy Options will be conducting the Winter Term ‘Community Lecture’ to explain to parents and locals what we have been doing with the school and how the same system can work in homes and businesses to make Swavesey a community energy project.

‘Gadgets to go Green’ is a Carbon Connections event hosted by UEA to promote wider public interest and encourage people to change the habits of a lifetime.

GEO were invited by Carbon Connections and UEA, who we are working with on our trial starting end of summer 2008, to display our energy monitoring devices.

ICTs and Climate Change brought together the key names in Climate Change from around the world.

GEO exhibited at the event in the BT Centre, London demonstrating a live Trio+ system as well as the schools and business systems that have now been installed in the Cambridge area.

Daventry-based Green Energy Options was announced (October 10) as a winner in the Connect Midlands £5 Million Investment Challenge at the Kilworth House Hotel, Leicestershire.

The Challenge, sponsored by BT Business, offers up to £5 million in equity funding for high-growth and technology businesses. It is backed by Catapult Venture Managers Ltd, East Midlands Early Growth Fund (managed by E-Synergy) and supported by the East Midlands Development Agency (EMDA), GINEM and Advantage Business Angels.

This is the second year Connect Midlands has run their Investment Challenge. Companies enter by completing the online assessment tool, “The Gauntlet”, developed by Doug Richard, formerly of Dragon´s Den. The Gauntlet acts like a virtual investor, seeking the crucial information that investors need and ensuring the business is investment ready.

This year 264 companies completed the assessment from which 40 were selected to present to a panel of experts. Thirteen companies were chosen as finalists and given the opportunity to present to a panel of investors and each fund nominated a winning company.

Catapult Venture Managers nominated GEO and offered to back us at point of full production.

GEO won a third award in six months at Shell´s “Springboard Competition” Southern Region Finals in London on 21st Feb. The competition which focuses on “small businesses with big ideas” produced 4 finalists, including GEO, all of whom won the maximum award available to enable them to take their concepts forward.

Simon Anderson from GEO said “We´re delighted to have won, this Shell Springboard award will enable us to continue our work with Hope Valley College - the kids are so excited, it means so much to them.”

Shell Springboard provides a finacial boost to a small number of businesses that submit the most compelling plan for a product or service which:

• Will lead to greenhouse gas reductions
• Is commercially viable
• Is innovative

Judging of the event was carried out by a panel of independent experts who were looking for ideas that not only had potential to break new ground but also had sound financial planning and market insight. The Shell Springboard programme hopes to encourage small and medium sized businesses to see that climate change is a huge opportunity.

James Smith, Chairman of Shell UK said, “Businesses, both large and small, can help tackle climate change, but sometimes a lack of funds for developing a great idea can be a problem for small businesses. That's why we set up Shell Springboard to encourage and reward companies with innovative ideas that are not only good for the environment but also good for business.”

GEO wish to thank Shell for their generous assistance through this award.