In a UK first, Utilita Energy, based in Chandler's Ford, is conducting automated checks to identify households eligible for free or subsidised decarbonisation measures.

The scheme uses 70 data points about the occupants and the home they inhabit to offer support from eleven schemes including the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, Great British Insulation Scheme, Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, and Home Upgrade Grant.

British environmental entrepreneurs, Tim Maxwell and Harry Smith, developed the exclusive technology. Eligible Utilita households are given support in accessing these measures aimed at enhancing thermal efficiency.

They will receive a notification of their eligibility for these schemes in the early summer of 2024, with an aim to get the measures in place before the winter.

Tim Maxwell, one of the two innovators behind the new technology, said: "Our innovation has the capacity to fast-track the decarbonisation of millions of homes, and in the short-term Utilita households will benefit with immediate effect.

"The cost-of-living crisis has accelerated and increased demand for energy efficiency retrofit measures, but the disparate nature of the data that informs the best interventions was a significant barrier to measures being applied. By automating the identification and eligibility process we can help households to secure measures ahead of next winter."

Founder and CEO of Utilita Energy, Bill Bullen said: "All energy suppliers are obligated to deliver at least two of the 11 decarbonisation schemes, and the bureaucracy involved in identifying and targeting households has become a major barrier to delivery.

"Our new automated eligibility tool cuts out the trickiest part of the process, which is engaging households and asking a lot of questions to establish what they are entitled to. Now, we can go direct and notify a household of their eligibility for energy-saving measures."