SMEs have been promised a "new energy" technology champion as high electricity and gas prices generate a world of budget pain with hardware and software to the rescue.
Simble Solutions, a software provider focused on energy management solutions, and Wattwatchers, a digital energy technology company, have announced the signing of "a new master agreement to continue to take their bundled energy efficiency solution to market as energy prices soar".
We're told that "the Simble Energy Platform captures data streams from Wattwatchers devices for monitoring and controlling electrical circuits in real-time through the cloud", and that the agreement "accelerates a successful four-year commercial partnership where intelligent hardware meets powerful software".
Simble chief executive Fadi Geha said that nearly everyone in the energy management space wants to service the big corporations and retail chains, resulting in large numbers of small and medium-sized enterprises being forgotten.
{loadposition alex08}Geha said: “Given that there are hundreds of small businesses for every big one, there is a significant market opportunity for us to service this sector – one that needs energy management solutions that are the right fit for smaller equipment and service budgets, and time-and-resource poor owners and operators.
“We want to give SMEs — whether they are a community club, a dairy farm, a local coffee roaster, a family-owned restaurant, a council depot or a small manufacturer — access to the kind of sophisticated, intelligent, value-adding energy management that big businesses pay enormous amounts for, but in packages that smaller enterprises can afford.
“It's a safe bet that they'll all be feeling budget pain from record high energy costs, and they'll be looking for a solution that fits their circumstances.”
Together, Simble and Wattwatchers say they will be "targeting a growth spurt in energy services for SMEs across Australia, New Zealand and the UK".
Geha added: “Our globally-deployable solution combines intelligent devices with powerful analytics and user interfaces.
“We are focused on building out a channel strategy to ensure that we reach smaller businesses wherever they are operating.”
We're also told that "leading energy service companies such as Energy and Carbon, Ndevr, Pangolin Associates, and pitt&sherry are already using Simble’s Energy Management Platform in Australia to help businesses understand their energy use and ultimately save money".
Wattwatchers chief executive Gavin Dietz said the partnership escalation was a natural next step for both companies, stating: "It's a classic hardware meets software relationship where the sum of the parts adds value for both of our businesses as well as our customers.
“Now, with both Wattwatchers and Simble focusing on accelerated growth in Australia and internationally, it's the right time to refresh the partnership including a new master supply agreement that reflects the expanding Wattwatchers product range, and our strategic alignment in the marketplace.”
Geha agreed, stating: “Both companies are geared for growth. The market for digital-based energy services is taking off and this collaboration is timed and designed to meet the needs of the often-forgotten small and medium-sized enterprises."
