Gamma partners with BERWOW to create Ireland’s first retrofit energy efficiency solution
Gamma, the cloud-hosted location intelligence systems and services company, today announced that it has partnered with BERWOW, an Irish technology start-up which creates smart solutions supporting sustainability in the retrofit industry. Together, they have created Ireland’s first retrofit energy efficiency calculator, which shows Irish homeowners how to reduce energy usage and costs through retrofitting.
The solution, which has been developed for energy providers so they can better support their customer base, assesses the financial benefits and carbon impact of home upgrades. As well as providing project costs and measuring energy savings, the tool shows available grants and allows users to customise their retrofit options. It is already being used by SSE Airtricity.
Easy to use, homeowners can enter their address, Building Energy Rating (BER) number or Meter Point Reference Number (MPRN) into the application, or they can specify their house type by selecting from more than 50 typologies. The online wizard then provides BER goals and displays suggested improvements and their benefits – including financial savings, along with the impact on the home’s BER rating, comfort levels and carbon footprint.
The project was spearheaded by Gamma Location Intelligence′s R&D division, Gamma Location Labs. The unit develops location intelligence applications across a wide range of sectors and works with cutting-edge start-ups, such as BERWOW, to create innovative solutions that have the power to transform entire sectors.
BERWOW aims to change the way homeowners access information about their energy rating and the various retrofit options available to them. Its custom technology solutions are aimed at helping to simplify and streamline the experience of the homeowner, whilst enabling providers such as SSE Airtricity to deliver a one-stop-shop retrofit service.
Feargal O’Neill, CEO, Gamma Location Intelligence, said: “We pride ourselves on being at the forefront of innovation within our location intelligence field, and this solution is the latest example of our dedication to enhancing how LI can be applied in real-world situations. Of course, one of the biggest issues that we are facing at the moment is climate change.
“Together with BERWOW, and with the help of visionary energy companies like SSE Airtricity, we have developed a tool that can help Irish households be more energy efficient and make better decisions in terms of their homes. Not only that, these efforts will also contribute to Ireland′s efforts to reduce carbon emissions, in line with European targets, and help the global fight to combat climate change.”
Michael Hanratty, CEO of BERWOW, said: “We are delighted to make the BERWOW solution available to Irish householders to help them understand and plan the energy retrofit journey for their home. BERWOW enables users to get a feel for the relative costs of measures and the associated impact on their BER. We believe the BERWOW solution to be one of the best products in this field in Europe and are excited about its further development.”
Director of SSE Airtricity Energy Services, Stuart Hobbs said: “SSE Airtricity is delighted to be bringing the BERWOW tool to customers across Ireland. This convenient, user-friendly web system will be free to use and will enable customers to benefit from the unique technology that allows users to learn about their property’s BER and see the potential energy savings in just a matter of clicks.
“The BERWOW calculator is a key part of the Generation Green Home Energy Upgrade and will be the first step on consumers journey to a greener, more energy-efficient home. Once homeowners see how much energy they can save, our team in SSE Airtricity will work with them and provide end-to-end project management including a new, updated BER cert once the works are completed.
“We’re excited to see this tool in action and believe it will help consumers realise the potential savings they can achieve by going green and availing of the Generation Green Home Energy Upgrade.”
@ 2021 Gamma.ie by Monika Ghita
About Gamma
Gamma is a Location Intelligence (LI) solutions provider that integrates software, data and services to help its clients reduce risk through location intelligence. Established in Dublin, Ireland in 1993, and with offices in Manchester, UK and Bilbao, Spain, the company focuses heavily on cutting-edge research and development projects, leveraging Artificial Intelligence and machine learning.
About BERWOW
BERWOW was established in 2017 to develop innovative software solutions that would use BER data to enable Irish householders to make informed decisions on deep energy retrofits for their dwellings. Its foundation brought together a unique blend of experts in building energy rating, retrofit finance and locational software solutions to create the BERWOW solution.
About SSE Airtricity
SSE Airtricity is the largest generator and supplier of green energy in Ireland, proudly providing 100% green electricity, natural gas and energy-related services to around 720,000 home and business customers. Since 2008 SSE has invested significantly in Ireland, with a total economic contribution of €3.8bn to the economy over the past five years. SSE owns and operates 28 onshore wind farms totalling 890MW across the island of Ireland, offsetting over 700,000 tonnes in carbon emissions annually. SSE Airtricity is certified by Business in the Community Ireland to the Business Working Responsibly Mark, the ‘gold standard’ for Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability in Ireland and proudly provides over €1.5m annually in community funds, bringing the total community investment to over €10m so far. The company has approx. 1,000 employees on the island of Ireland and is a certified Living Wage employer.
