Edinburgh-based Ewgeco has struck a substantial deal with one of the UK’s leading facilities management organisations resulting in a 100% increase in its workforce.
MITIE Group PLC – experts in the provision of energy management services to leading blue-chip companies across the UK – will now include Ewgeco’s range of products in the energy reduction service packages it offers to clients.
The deal signals a rapid growth for the Scottish company with staff numbers set to double from 11 to 22 by the end of 2013 to cope with the increased demand from the contract.
Ewgeco, which has a portfolio of innovative award-winning energy monitoring products and services – including ‘In Premises Display’ (IPD) – will now form an integral part of the MITIE offering, extending the FTSE 250 business’s market reach across public and private sectors.
The IPD system takes energy management to the heart of the organisation, using intuitive live energy displays installed in the hub of business activity. The display enables employees to clearly see how their actions impact energy use and encourages effective and behavioural change. Commenting on Ewgeco’s significant new business collaboration, George McGhee, Chief Executive of Ewgeco, said: “Energy management remains high on the business agenda, with organisations realising just how much can be saved by implementing energy management strategies and using the right products to monitor and control usage.
“In our experience, IPDs can save businesses around 10% by informing staff and encouraging building managers to adopt energy-saving measures, such as energy efficient lighting or voltage optimisation, to resolve areas of high usage.
“MITIE clearly understands the needs of its wide customer base across the UK and we are delighted Ewgeco’s product fits seamlessly into MITIE’s Carbon Care portfolio.”
The relationship between the entrepreneurial Scottish company and MITIE (which stands for Management Incentive Through Investment Equity) has been cultivated by Ewgeco’s founder, Tanya Ewing. Designing the prototype back in 2006 after receiving an unexpectedly high gas bill which she found impossible to decipher, Ewing has continued to grow the business and recently was invited by the Rt Hon Vince Cable MP and Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills to join the Entrepreneurs’ Forum along with other entrepreneurs such as James Caan of Dragon’s Den. Martin Holt from MITIE said: “From our experience in energy management, we know the impact behavioural change can have in reducing energy consumption. Savings of as much as 10% are possible with very little investment.
“Ewgeco technology provides the key for people to see just how their actions are directly affecting energy use, stimulating them to rethink, switch off and use less. It’s a great tool to have at our disposal.”
MITIE has an annual turnover of £2bn and provides Carbon Care, a comprehensive portfolio of energy management services, as part of a wider range of facility management services. The live energy displays by Ewgeco result in at least a 10% saving on electricity bills. This includes buildings where other energy saving technologies or activities are already active. Ewgeco is an employee engagement tool, which focuses on behavioural change – targeting all users of a building, not just the building or facilities manager.
Using highly visible, easy to understand language and jargon free information building users can clearly see the true cost of energy being used and amend behaviour to significantly reduce unnecessary energy consumption.
