01 March 2022
Calibrate Energy has won the ‘Best Rural Innovation’ category – sponsored by the National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise (NICRE) – at the national Rural Business Awards (RBAs) for its ground-breaking approach to designing, installing and maintaining renewables systems for agri-businesses.
Situated between Alnwick and Berwick in rural Northumberland, the business continues to be at the forefront of the renewables industry in its quest for innovation. This award further demonstrates that even small and remotely-located firms can be pioneers in the national business arena.
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 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.”
To date Calibrate have installed 300MW of heat pumps and renewables to rural businesses, whilst preventing the release of tens of thousands of tonnes (and counting) of carbon into the atmosphere.
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 it was at the forefront of emerging technology, with a clear ethos towards sustainability.
Melanie Thompson-Glen, business development manager at NICRE, based at Newcastle University, 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 RBAs aim to recognise businesses operating right across the rural sector, to acknowledge the breadth and depth of opportunity presented by the British countryside, as well as to celebrate the achievements of rural businesses, from engineering through to artisan food producers and professional services organisations.
Jemma Clifford, director and co-founder of the RBAs, said: “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 RBAs’ 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.”
StaySafe PPE was named runner-up in the ‘Best Rural Innovation’ category. Other shortlisted businesses were Harvst, Jolly Nice, and the English Soap Company.
With Amazon as the main sponsor for the third year running, other sponsors this year included O2 Business, Harper Adams University, Fisher German and NICRE.
The award is Calibrate’s third accolade in a year including a gold award for technical innovation at the Highland Show Awards and Installer of the Year at the National ACR & Heat Pump Awards.
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