Northeastern Students Aid U.K. Energy Startup
LONDON– Students from Northeastern University’s London campus are assisting measurable.energy, a U.K.-based sustainability startup, in enhancing its energy-saving technology.
Undergraduate students are contributing to market research to help the company understand how its AI-powered smart plug sockets are used by clients. These sockets use artificial intelligence to detect electronic devices, monitor their energy consumption, and automatically turn devices off when they’re not in use. This data is then sent to an online dashboard, where users can access reports on their energy use and carbon emissions. The firm aims to cut businesses’ energy bills by at least 20% using this technology.
As part of the Creating Impact: Experiential Project course during the fall semester, Northeastern students in London had the opportunity to analyze measurable.energy’s data, perform market research, and propose solutions to the energy challenges the company faces. The students’ involvement offered practical, real-world experience while also providing fresh perspectives on the company’s existing strategies.
Chief Technology Officer Josh Eadie said the company – which in October announced new investment of £4 million ($5 million) – gained valuable ideas from the students that will help improve their offerings.
Eadie explained that the company’s current platform “relies on people logging in or receiving reports” regarding energy savings. He mentioned that Northeastern students suggested a “more intuitive way” of delivering this information.
“One thing that we are challenged with on a regular basis,” Eadie said, “is communicating what we are doing in the buildings where we are installed. There have been some really great ideas from the students about how to effectively [communicate] the savings to people.”
Dan Williams, the Chief Executive Officer, said that the students’ innovative ideas were a key factor in the decision to partner with Northeastern on the course. Measurable.energy was drawn to the university’s academic focus and commitment to new ways of thinking, and was eager to collaborate with a partner to foster growth and development.
Jack Van Dale, a second-year business student, said that the experiential learning project gave him a “really good opportunity to engage with an external partner.”
“It was a chance to get real-world experience as well as learn about it in an academic way at the same time, so it was a mixture of both — I think that kind of opportunity is quite rare,” he added.
Kate Nguyen, a data science major, said working with measurable.energy has given her “great work experience.”
“I’ve met people in industry and it has been a good chance to network,” Nguyen said. “But it has also been about knowing that you’re tackling a real-world problem. This has been a great opportunity to hone those skills before graduating.”
For some students, the course offered a new outlook on potential post-graduation career paths.
“This course has definitely opened my eyes to wanting to go into green tech,” said Meriam Chebil, a business major. “There is a lot of focus now regarding business that has to do with sustainability, and this has opened my eyes to see what products are on the market and what could be done to be more innovative in the future. And I think that, going forward, I would probably want to go into that field to some degree.”
From measurable.energy’s perspective, Williams highlighted that job candidates with real-world experience have a distinct advantage when it comes to recruitment.
“Experience is really important to us,” Williams said, explaining that the company gives those with industry experience priority over those who only lack it.
“We are recruiting graduates coming from universities and we’re already seeing that if they don’t have experience in industry — even just this light touch kind of experience — then it can be quite a struggle.”
