Wednesday 27 January 2021

BT partners with green tech scale-ups to help public sector transition to net zero

BT has teamed up with two green technology scale-ups to develop joint products and services aimed at helping its public sector customers transition to net zero.

Its partnerships with Glasgow-based Internet of Things (IoT) company iOpt and Everimpact, a company specialising in climate monitoring based in Paris, have been announced as part of its Green Tech Innovation Platform in partnership with Plug and Play, an innovation platform headquartered in Silicon Valley.

BT will help the two companies to accelerate their growth by offering their products to local councils across the UK that tare looking to adopt environmental monitoring and smart building solutions.

iOpt

IoT firm iOpt will be using its platform, which provides real-time information and alerts on the condition of properties, to enable smart buildings, with a focus on improving the quality of social housing for local councils.

Installed sensors will enable key information such as damp, mould and fuel poverty to be collected and tracked in its IoT platform, with BT providing the network connectivity and managing the installation of the sensors.

Benefits for councils include lower preventative maintenance costs and cutting down on unnecessary travel to fix issues, helping reduce carbon emissions.

Everimpact

BT selected Everimpact to develop environmental monitoring for its smart streets proposition, with air quality and CO2 sensors integrated into BT's street furniture estate, such as its Street Hub units, payphone kiosks and CCTV sites, to provide actionable environmental insights for local councils.

The solution will combine Everimpact’s satellite data and AI technology with air quality and CO2 data collated via sensors on BT’s street furniture.

Local councils will be able to access the data via a ‘Smart City Dashboard’ where they will be able to track emissions, and receive certified carbon offsetting information, enabling them to generate funds for their decarbonisation efforts.

Over the next few months, the two scale-ups with work with BT to run proof of concepts with local councils and other organisations.

The partnerships follows BT's recent announcement that its network, offices and shops worldwide are now powered by 100% renewable electricity, supporting its commitment to becoming a net zero carbon business by 2045.

Dean Terry, MD Corporate and Public Sector at BT said: “As the world looks to recover from the current health and economic crisis caused by COVID-19, we have an opportunity to accelerate the transition to a greener society, working in partnership with government, business and society as they look at how they need to adapt and change their business models in the evolving digital world.

“We also appreciate that BT cannot do this alone, with our track record in helping to incubate innovative start-ups/scale ups, such as iOpt and Everimpact, we look forward to bringing the best of our innovative ecosystem to support local councils on their journey towards net zero.”