The RBS Innovation Gateway
Local innovator shortlisted by RBS in national search for new ‘green’ ideas
A local innovator with a brilliant new idea for saving energy has been shortlisted for the RBS Innovation Gateway.
Chalmor submitted their ground-breaking idea after RBS called on innovators and small businesses (SMEs) to come forward with new eco-ideas for the bank’s 2,500 buildings around the UK.
The RBS Innovation Gateway, which is led by Marcela Navarro, Head of Customer Innovation at RBS, has three aims; to help RBS save more energy, water and waste, to nurture new, brilliant innovations and to help local inventors take their ideas to market.
Chalmor is one of the first companies to make it onto the shortlist.
Chalmor provide energy saving lighting and heating solution. Based in Luton in Bedfordshire, Chalmor was established in 1952 by Charles Henry and has remained a family business, today managed by Son Steven Henry.
Chalmor submitted eTRV+ to the RBS Innovation Gateway. Steven Henry explains “Chalmor’s eTRV+ is an energy saving retrofit device that has the proven potential to save 25%+ on heating bills. It fits directly to radiators in place of thermostatic radiator valves (TRV’s), enabling accurate temperature control on a room by room basis.
eTRV+ saves energy by only heating the areas you are using, to the temperature that keeps you comfortable. It prevents overheating and heating being wasted in areas which are not in use.
We are delighted to have reached the Innovation Gateway shortlist stage. The judging panel include a range of industry specialists and we are proud that they have recognized eTRV+’s potential for RBS.
The original eTRV was launched in 2011 to the residential market, as a way to control heating and provide greater comfort in your home. The new eTRV+ enhancements have been developed in response to commercial customer requests, to tailor the technology specifically to suit the demands of commercial applications. For example, one of the new features is PAIR, which detects occupancy, great for saving energy in areas which are not always in use, such as meeting rooms.
eTRV+ will provide RBS with a low maintenance energy saving solution and a uniform approach to controlling heating over their diverse estate. RBS can be confident that energy will be saved, without compromising staff and customer comfort”.
Chalmor was one of over 140 companies from across the UK who submitted an idea to the RBS Innovation Gateway when the bank launched the project in March this year.
Their idea went before an independent panel of experts put together by RBS, including academics from Cambridge University and business leaders from major companies such as Carillion, who assessed each idea and decided which ones had made it onto the shortlist.
If successful, the next step for market ready ideas will be a trial on the RBS estate, including buildings and branches. All successful concepts will receive a grant to develop their ideas further.
Steven notes “Projects like the Innovation Gateway provide a great opportunity for initial ideas, through to market ready innovations to gain recognition and credibility on a national scale.
This project with RBS would help Chalmor to prove eTRV+’s energy saving potential over a wide range of building types and room uses, each with individual heating requirements and critically, gain insight into user behavior, which will help us develop the technology further”.
The shortlisted companies like Chalmor will now receive a huge range of support from RBS including:
- Testing and rolling out their idea on up to 2,500 RBS properties
- £3,000 grant for winning concepts and paper-based ideas
- Expertise to help accelerate their innovation to market
- Practical support and insights from the RBS Innovation Panel
- Access to the RBS Property Team and online events
- Connecting and collaborating with other leading innovators.
The RBS Innovation Gateway is a live project, so innovators in Bedfordshire who missed the first round can apply now to enter round two.
For journalists, to find out more about the RBS Innovation Gateway story so far, visit the Innovation Gateway Vimeo channel. Here you will find a range of video content which can be used for background information and quotes. The channel features video interviews with Marcela Navarro, Head of Customer Innovation at RBS, who is leading the RBS Innovation Gateway project. You can also see the Innovation Gateway in action through a series of workshops and events in London, Bristol and Cambridge https://vimeo.com/channels/751278
For more details go to https://www.innovationgateway.rbs.com