Insight Energy Renewables named Rising Star of the Year

The business, based in Ipswich, was founded in 2021 by Kristian Day and his brother, Adam.

“We entered the renewables sector, with a particular focus on solar PV, battery storage, and electric vehicle charging stations,” said Kristian.

The business designs and installs solar, battery and EV points for a wide range of customers across East Anglia, from homeowners looking to install a charger for their car, to businesses wanting to invest in their premises.

“We’re started the business in Ipswich at Masterlord Office Village,” said Kristian, “and very quickly needed more space as we began building the team. We’ve grown it quite quickly since then, so we’re a team of 10 now and we’ve done some large scale commercial solar PV installations in a short space of time.”

Kristian Day, founder of Insight Energy Renewables (Image: Mark Coventry)

Kristian’s wife Lucinda has now joined the business as financial director after over 20 years at BDO, and technical director Gary Gibson became a business partner to oversee all the design and delivery elements.

In a rapidly growing market such as this, there is a variety of different products available, but Insight Energy has a specific focus on premium, high-quality products that last. The business is product agnostic, which Kristian said means they can choose from the best products in the market.

“Why that’s important, particularly in this growing market, is because the products are changing so quickly. If you’re tied to a company, brand or product that isn’t innovating, then ultimately the customer will bear the brunt of that.”

This ‘quality over quantity’ approach is what Kristian said makes Insight Energy stand out amongst its competitors.

“What we’ve found is that, unlike some established markets where people really understand the bones of what they’re buying like an iPhone, or a Volkswagen, in this market most people don’t really understand the technology that is available and what’s possible, so they get driven by either the price and maybe some old myths have been bandied around.

“We try to spend a lot more time at the front end understanding what they really need.”

As a result, the business has built up a loyal customer base, and it received recognition for its rapid growth when it was announced Rising Star of the Year at the EADT Business Awards 2023.

Insight Energy Renewables was named Rising Star of the Year at the EADT Business Awards 2023 (Image: Matt Potter Photography and Videography)

“For us, it was recognition for all the people involved in the team,” Kristian said on the win. “From the ones there at the beginning through to the new people that have joined and continued the ethos of what we’re all about.

“Our people are key for us, so it was a very proud moment.”

Not content to stand still, Kristian and Gary were immediately looking ahead to their next goal. They’re currently going through the process of becoming a B Corp certified business and are looking to work more closely with businesses at the forefront of sustainability while also inspiring the next generation of sustainability experts.

“There is a significant skills gap in this sector,” said Kristian. “On the whole, there aren’t many businesses that focus on this specific area, so how would you ever get the experience?”

The business is in talks to create an academy which will provide work experience and apprenticeships to help someone gain the specific skills needed to build a career in this sector, becoming “more of a specialist than just a traditional spark”.

Ultimately, Kristian’s main ambition is for Insight Energy to become a household name.

“So whenever a business or someone locally, within East Anglia, talks about solar and battery and EV, we’d be in the same conversation. That’s the ultimate goal.”

For more information, please visit insightenergy.uk