Wattics, a University College Dublin Spin-out Company, Leads the Way to Innovation Success

- Smarter metering solution provides businesses with unprecedented insights into their
energy management to drastically reduce electricity costs

Wattics Ltd has been announced as a finalist for the Irish Times InterTradeIreland Innovation Awards 2012. Wattics, a University College Dublin spin-out company, is headquartered at NovaUCD, the Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre.

Wattics has developed an innovative ‘smarter metering’ system for businesses. It utilises a software solution to manage their energy consumption via a single metering sensor ‘clipped’ onto a main electricity switchboard.

The system provides businesses with insights into their energy usage down to an individual appliance or machine level. Using the resulting data businesses can identify energy inefficiencies within their businesses enabling them to take action to significantly reduce their electricity bills. Clients of Wattics’ smarter metering system already include; Jurys Hotel Group, KPMG, OPW, Norfish Ltd and Mandat International, Geneva.

Wattics was founded by Dr Antonio Ruzzelli, Anthony Schoofs and Alex Sintoni as a spin-out company from UCD’s School of Computer Science and Informatics and the CLARITY Centre for Web Sensor Technologies. The company is currently fund raising and plans to employ 15-25 people within the next 2-3 years.

Wattics Team 
(l-r) Seamus Porter, Sales Director, Dr Antonio Ruzzelli, CEO, Anthony Schoofs, CTO and Alex Sintoni, Head of Engineering

Wattics has been shortlisted in the Innovation in the Application of R&D category along with Cellix Ltd and X-Bolt Orthopaedics Ltd.

Dr Antonio Ruzzelli, co-founder & CEO, Wattics said, “Being shortlisted for the Irish Times InterTradeIreland Innovation Awards 2012 is a fantastic team achievement. It recognises and validates the hard-work and dedication of everyone associated with the establishment of our young Irish start-up company. Wattics is a game changer in the energy management market and aims to be rolled-out worldwide. Our unique and powerful software technology is currently saving thousands of euro for our clients.” He added, “It can be applied in businesses around the world to assist them in understanding, managing and ultimately reducing their energy consumption. It requires no complex retrofitting, no appliance sub-metering and no wiring. A single clip-on meter or sensor combined with Wattics’ software technology is all that is needed.”

Now in its third year, the Irish Times InterTradeIreland Innovation Awards aim to recognise and promote the best service, product or operational innovations throughout the island. The finalists were selected by an independent panel of judges to secure a place at the final and a chance to win the overall ‘Innovation of the Year’ award as well as a unique and high profile communications and advertising package worth €150,000. All shortlisted finalists will receive a €10,000 communications package in Innovation Magazine, an iPad with a one year subscription to The Irish Times ePaper.

InterTradeIreland Strategy and Policy Director, Aidan Gough said, "Companies that embrace an ongoing culture of innovation are more likely to grow and to sustain growth. The high standard and diverse range of entries to this year’s awards from public and private sectors and from businesses of all sizes is extremely encouraging and evidence that innovation as a growth process is being embraced by more and more businesses across the island.”

“A key objective of InterTradeIreland is to support the development of a well connected innovation ecosystem across the island that puts enterprise at its core. Our support programmes are designed to ensure that firms, in particular SMEs, have access to the resources they need to bring an idea more quickly and more efficiently to market no matter where the resources are located on the island.”

“These awards honour those who are leading the way with their pioneering work. Congratulations to all those companies who have made it to the finals, which is an achievement in its own right.”

Winners in each of the award categories will be announced at an awards ceremony in Dublin on 28 February. An overall Innovation of the Year Award winner will also be chosen from amongst the 6 category winners.

Last year Celtic Catalysts, the UCD life-sciences spin-out company, was the overall winner of the Application of R&D Category.

ENDS

27 January 2012

For further information contact Micéal Whelan, University College Dublin, Communications Manager (Innovation), e: miceal.whelan@ucd.ie, t: + 353 1 716 3712 or Dr Antonio Ruzzelli, CEO, Wattics, e: antonio.ruzzelli@wattics.com, t: + 353 87 410 5486.

Editors Notes

Wattics has developed an innovative ‘clever metering’ system to provide businesses with insights into their energy usage, per individual appliance and to assist them in achieving significant energy savings. Wattics was incorporated in 2011 by Dr Antonio Ruzzelli, Alex Sintoni and Anthony Schoofs, as a spin-out company from UCD’s School of Computer Science and Informatics and the CLARITY Centre for Web Sensor Technologies. www.wattics.com

NovaUCD, the Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre, is the hub of innovation and knowledge transfer activities at University College Dublin. NovaUCD is responsible for the commercialisation of intellectual property arising from UCD research and for the development of co-operation with industry and business. NovaUCD as a purpose-built centre also nurtures new technology and knowledge-intensive enterprises such as Wattics. NovaUCD has been funded through a unique public-private partnership that includes AIB Bank, Arthur Cox, Deloitte, Enterprise Ireland, Ericsson, Goodbody Stockbrokers, UCD and Xilinx. www.ucd.ie/nova

For further information about the Irish Times InterTradeIreland Innovation Awards 2012 www.irishtimes.com/innovationawards