Calibrate Energy have won the national best rural innovation award at the recent Rural Business Awards (RBA) for their ground-breaking approach to designing, installing and maintaining renewable systems for agri-businesses.
Located between Alnwick and Berwick-upon-Tweed in rural Northumberland, the business continues to be leading innovators in the renewables sector. The award, sponsored by the National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise (NICRE), is Calibrate Energy’s third accolade in the past year, accompanying the ‘Installer of the Year’ at the National ACR & Heat Pump Awards and the ‘Gold award’ for technical innovation at the Highland Show Awards.
Commenting on the win, Susie McDonald, co-founder of Calibrate Energy, said:
“The competition for this category this year was exceptional, and we are ecstatic Calibrate Energy has won a National Rural Business Award against such strong competition.
“Innovation is at the heart of everything we do and visibility like this helps us to get closer to our vision of making net zero a reality for businesses through innovative technologies. Our company puts a lot of effort into customer satisfaction, and we are thrilled that our efforts have been recognised with this award.”
Calibrate Energy have, to date, installed 300MW of heat pumps and renewables for rural businesses, protecting them against rising energy costs and preventing the release of tens of thousands of tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere.
The RBAs themselves celebrate the achievements of rural businesses, from engineering through to artisan food producers and professional services organisations, acknowledge the scale of opportunity presented by the Great British countryside.
Co-Founder and director of The RBAs, Jemma Clifford, added:
“We are very proud to host the seventh annual Rural Business Awards in partnership with Amazon, especially after the past 18 months. On behalf of the Rural Business Awards team, I would like to say congratulations to Calibrate Energy for this very well-deserved win and wish them all the best for the future.”
“The awards are decided by an independent panel of judges drawn from the rural business sector, official agencies and rural charitable organisations. Feedback from the panel acknowledged Calibrate’s role at the heart of rural business supporting the local community and said they were at the forefront of emerging technology, with a clear ethos towards sustainability.”
The sponsors of the award – NICRE, based at Newcastle University – combines academic research with practical application to find new ways of fostering rural enterprise and unlocking the potential of rural economies.
Melanie Thompson-Glen, business development manager at NICRE, said:
“Huge congratulations to Calibrate Energy on winning this national award. They show innovation in rural business at its best and epitomise the breadth of enterprise we have in this country, while being a trailblazer for the rural economy and a great supporter of their local community.
“We hope their success inspires other rural firms to innovate and grow their businesses. The aim is to grow The Rural Business Awards to become the UK’s most prestigious and respected awards for rural businesses and to develop a strong network and community of rural business owners.”
Other sponsors at the RBAs included Amazon, for the third year running, as well as Fisher German, Harper Adams University and O2 Business.
