Green Business Awards 2009: Green Business - Green service

AlertMe was launched in 2008 as a service enabling householders to monitor home security and energy consumption. In 2008, it achieved a turnover of £380,000 and had 29 staff.

In 2009, AlertMe made smart energy its central focus by installing 'smart plugs' in all its systems. Smart plugs communicate wirelessly with a communications hub, and can then be programmed via a secure internet connection, a television or a mobile phone. Householders can use the system to monitor and control electrical appliances. Appliances can, for example, be programmed to switch off automatically when a house is unoccupied.

The service has achieved significant commercial success - by mid-2009 the company had shipped over 15,000 AlertMe units. It has also been recognised in several awards.