Green Running
Green Running are a London-based team of Data Scientists and Machine Learning experts specialising in high-frequency disaggregation and data analytics in the energy sector. Peter Davies founded Green Running in 2010. The initial focus was on reducing energy consumption within the commercial market; supporting hotels and restaurants in the hospitality industry to lower their energy bills, encourage behavioural change among their employees and achieve sustainability targets. Smart meters were being rolled out across the domestic market but the information they provided was not detailed enough to encourage the long-term behavioural change in the home that would ultimately lead to lower energy bills and increased efficiency.
Company details
Find locations served, office locations
- Business Type:
- Service provider
- Industry Type:
- Energy
- Market Focus:
- Internationally (various countries)
- Year Founded:
- 2009
About Us
The Technical Bit
Thanks to over a decade of experience in high-frequency data acquisition which derived from our sister company Austin Consultants, we are able to sample data from an electricity meter at hundreds of thousands of times per second compared to smart meters, which vary between once every 6 seconds to once per minute depending on its type.
Due to this high frequency sampling, we are able to magnify the data and identify the energy signature of individual electrical appliances. This enables us to detect the instant at which a home appliance has turned on or off, display how much it costs to power it and identify trends in behaviour that help us advise the user on how they can make changes to become more efficient. From this, our mission was born:
“We’re democratising data; unscrambling vast amounts of data from electricity usage and handing it back to the user in a form that helps them actively create positive change.”
All of this data is extremely valuable to homeowners and we wanted to produce a device that would help homes benefit from their electricity data and help them save money, take control of energy bills and keep their home safe and efficient.
Frustrated with the lack of information from smart meters, we launched Verv, a home energy assistant on a mission to help homeowners master their power! In 2015 we received funding from Centrica (owners of British Gas) to develop this product and have been able to grow our team at our office in London Bridge and produce a technically advanced platform using machine learning capabilities to achieve all of the above to a multitude of benefits.
Making Data Useful
We can identify whether an appliance is faulty or deteriorating as we’re able to detect changes in the energy signature and identify that too much energy is being wasted to power it. If the user replaces the device with a more eco-friendly one, we can give them a return on investment calculation and tell them at what point they have paid off their new appliance thanks to the money they have saved on their bill.
We can protect homes from fire risk by alerting users if high-risk devices such as an iron or hair straighteners have been left on for too long. We can help homeowners protect their property by informing them of unexpected electricity usage in their homes for example if the lights turn on while they are on holiday.
We can help keep vulnerable people safe in their homes without the use of intrusive methods such as camera’s by alerting a family member, friend or care worker if there has been inactivity in their usage or erratic behaviour.
We can save homeowners money on their electricity bill by handing them the tools that allow them to have complete control over their energy usage and make informed decisions on how they power their home.
Into the Future
Our ultimate goal would be to provide every home in the UK with a Verv hub and give homeowners complete control over their energy usage, saying goodbye to estimated billing and putting the power in the hands of the consumer. We would then look to expand our offering internationally.
We are also pioneering peer-2-peer energy trading in the UK, currently working on a full scale simulation using our patented AI technology in the Verv hub and blockchain.
“If we could even ensure that all households in London alone had our Verv hub, we could save enough electricity to power half of all London busses for an entire year!”
Our commercial products are also getting a revamp using Verv technology and soon we hope to be able to give our commercial clients even more features to be able to achieve sustainability targets and lower their carbon footprint.
The possibilities with Verv technology are endless and we’re already accepting pre-orders via the Verv website. Early adopters will have the opportunity to influence the features in our product development cycle and be a part of a new wave of technology set to change how we power and manage our homes.
The Benefits of Our Products
Communicate
Our products have been used to help large organisations (such as hotels and manufacturers) change the entire culture of their organisation to share reports and results with staff, and demonstrate how everyone can be included in making energy savings by embracing change.
Compare
Our eController allows you to compare the energy consumption and cost of different appliances, machines and energy providers. You can produce reports showing the cost / benefit ratios and payback periods of different energy options, so you can make informed decisions when choosing suppliers and hardware for your organisation.
Educate
Our eViewer software that is provided with our eAnalyser allows you to share vibrant and engaging visuals showing real-time data, indicating power consumption levels and warning systems. Our technology has been used in schools and colleges as a teaching aid to educate pupils on sustainability and the environment. Educational establishments offering sustainability courses can not only save money, but also help teach, engage and raise awareness about environmental issues.
Monitor
Our eAnalyser will help you avert fire risks by allowing quick and easy monitoring of specific heating circuits so you can repeat checks in the correct areas, before downtime.
Achievements
Green Running founded in March 2010 and since then have been on a journey to help homes and businesses reduce their energy consumption.
- CEO Peter Davies wins 'Innovator of the Year' at the 2016 Business Green Technology Awards
- Our domestic energy monitor Verv wins 'Best Product Demonstration' at the 2016 European NILM Workshop
- Our Project Manager Imtiaz Chowdhury wins 'Best Pitch' at a 2016 TechUK & Triteq 'Pitch-fest competition' at their 'scale your start-up' day
- Peter pitches at the ECO15 conference in London and details multiple benefits of disaggregating high-frequency electricity data
- Green Running win 'Best Smart-Grid Innovation' at the 2014 Energy Awards
- Peter Davies gets through to the final of the 2014 Energy Awards for the Rising Star Award
- Peter Davies gives a talk at the 2015 Sustainability Live conference on the benefits of second by second data compared to smart meter data.
We’re Democratising Data
At Green Running, we’re on a mission to democratise data; unscrambling vast amounts of data from electricity usage and handing it back to the user in a form that helps them actively create positive change.
Who?
We are a London-based team of Data Scientists and Machine Learning experts specialising in high-frequency disaggregation and data analytics in the energy sector.
How?
We use Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring (NILM) and advanced machine learning algorithms to disaggregate and analyse electricity data down to individual appliance level.
Why?
We want to reduce environmental impact by making buildings smarter and more efficient. Understanding how buildings use power is the first step.
Smart Meters are being rolled out across homes but they simply don’t provide enough detail to tell the consumer what is actually costing them money. They just provide a total cost of your electricity usage.
We are able to sample data at extremely high frequencies enabling us to read the ‘energy signature’ of individual electrical appliances. This means we can show the user in real time how much their appliances are costing them, in addition to an array of other functions such as alerting them if an appliance is deteriorating or if they’ve left something on.