Heatio

Heatio, a Liverpool-based clean-tech company founded in 2022, is positioned at the intersection of property technology and renewable energy, addressing the UK's home energy efficiency challenges. The company was established by Simon Roberts and Thomas Farquhar, both described as serial entrepreneurs with extensive experience in the renewable energy sector predating Heatio. Their shared background includes successfully building and exiting previous ventures in the renewables space, which informs Heatio's strategic direction.

The core of Heatio's offering is the 'Flexx' platform, a smart home energy management system that utilizes artificial intelligence and machine learning. This system analyzes smart meter data and information from discrete sensors to create a detailed energy profile of a property, identifying inefficiencies and providing homeowners with tailored recommendations for improvement. The platform connects and manages a portfolio of low-carbon technologies, including solar panels, heat pumps, EV chargers, and home batteries, to optimize their performance and reduce energy consumption. This data-driven approach allows for precise system sizing and performance prediction, aiming to build consumer confidence in adopting green technologies.

Heatio operates on a partner-based business model, collaborating with financial institutions, energy utilities, and government bodies to deliver its solutions. A significant aspect of their strategy involves innovative financing models to overcome the high upfront cost of retrofitting homes. One such model is an 'Energy as a Service' (EaaS) subscription, which bundles the technology and installation into a monthly payment, piloted with E.ON and Energy Systems Catapult. Additionally, Heatio has partnered with Perenna Bank to offer a long-term fixed-rate green mortgage that provides preferential interest rates for homeowners who retrofit their properties using the Heatio platform to track and verify energy savings. The company's revenue is generated through these partnerships and the data analytics services provided by its platform.

A key technological component is Heatio's Virtual Power Plant (VPP), which connects the network of homes using its Flexx platform. By aggregating and managing these distributed energy resources, the VPP can help balance supply and demand on the national grid. Since its inception, Heatio has secured significant funding, including a £2 million seed round in 2024 led by Ascension, to expand its team and further develop the Flexx platform. The company has also won government contracts as part of the UK's Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, underscoring its role in the national decarbonization effort.

Keywords: home energy management, cleantech, virtual power plant, energy as a service, green finance, property technology, smart meter analytics, heat pumps, decarbonisation, energy efficiency