People’s Champion Finalist: 4Eco

Start-up name: 4Eco (immerSUN)
Founders: Lee Sutton, Jodi Huggett and Robin Barrett, 37, 40 and 38
Started in: 2014
Based in: Lincolnshire
Business description: Energy management devices

The 4Eco story:

In 2012, 4Eco was just a renewable dream for passionate electronics engineer Lee Sutton – who wanted to make the world a more resource-efficient place. However after joining forces with co-founders and renewable energy specialists Jodi Huggett and Robin Barrett, thousands of hours of research and development time and plenty of passion 4Eco became a reality – and the company’s flagship product, immerSUN, was born.

Before he started the company, Sutton specialised in the installation of solar panels and grew frustrated with the fluctuating generation they provided. Whilst users were promised an ongoing stream of free energy, in reality, while they were out energy from the sun was turned into renewable energy but as it wasn’t being immediately used it was exported to the National Grid at a minimum financial return. When users wanted to actually use their energy in the evenings, they’d have to buy it back from the grid for a higher price, entirely reducing the financial benefits of solar panels.

Confident there was a better alternative, immerSUN was developed to eliminate the need to buy back green energy from the grid. In layman’s terms, the device diverts renewable energy not back to the grid but to element-driven heating devices in the owner’s home so the water is hot and the house warm when you return home from work – without costing you a penny.

Claiming to lower utility bills by circa £250 a year, the device has been installed into 20,000 households around the UK and consequently the company has seen turnover rocket and, impressively, the business operates completely loan free.

Why 4Eco made our 50:

With its environmentally-friendly technology and potential to save owners hundreds of pounds, it’s no surprise that immerSUN is now in 20,000 households around the UK and the business has hugely impressive financials to match. This green business looks set to revolutionise the renewables industry.

Where to find out more about 4Eco:

Website: http://www.immersun.co.uk/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/4ecoltd