Support from the University of Nottingham’s Energy Innovation and Collaboration team, helps Expert Unleashed launch new off-grid subsidiary ‘Going Nomad’.

Background

Expert Unleashed is a business coaching company established in 2019 by Naomi Hyett and Jay Staniforth in Leicestershire.

The company offers one to one and bespoke coaching and has worked with over 150 coaches and entrepreneurs from around the world in a range of industries.

Naomi and Jay came up with the idea for ‘Going Nomad’, a remote working version of the coaching business, when they were thinking about how they could grow sustainably, and they purchased a Mercedes sprinter panel van, with the aim of transforming it into a suitable working and living space from which to run the new venture.

Opportunity

Naomi and Jay are aiming for the new venture to be completely off-grid. They heard about the University of Nottingham’s ‘Energy for Business’ support, delivered by the Energy Innovation and Collaboration team, and arranged to meet with Business Development Officer Shaun Herman to discuss the support available. By approaching the team at this early stage, it was possible to enlist the help of energy experts with extensive technical knowledge to provide a technical report that would enable the ‘Going Nomad’ sustainable project goals to be met.

Solution

Adham Makki, a Technical Officer in the Energy Innovation and Collaboration team, was assigned to the project, and provided a technical report that benchmarked energy requirements for the new camper van. These included assessments of the electrical appliances needed for Going Nomad and preliminary estimations of a suitable leisure battery coupled with a solar photovoltaic system that would minimise the need for a grid-based connection.

Recommendations for future improvements were also provided. One being to replace the existing diesel engine with a hydrogen powered alternative to further reduce environmental impact and improve sustainable and ethical credentials.

Jay commented, “The dream was to be able to run our business from anywhere in the world without disrupting our quality of service and without creating unnecessary emissions. The report and the research that Shaun and his team provided has made this possible. I'd recommend any business that cares about their impact on the environment to reach out to the team and seek their guidance.”

Benefits

The report gave Naomi and Jay the information they need to identify energy saving measures to minimise carbon emissions and fuel consumption while meeting the energy needs required to run the business.

Support

Expert Unleashed received support from the University as part of Energy for Business. Delivered by the Energy Innovation and Collaboration team and funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Contact the Energy Innovation and Collaboration team for an informal chat about the support on offer.

Email: energy@nottingham.ac.uk
Website: www.nottingham.ac.uk/energyforbusiness
Phone: +44 (0) 115 7484969