Specialist investment firm Sustainable Development Capital's (SDCL) Energy Efficiency Income Trust (SEEIT) was launched to invest exclusively in the energy efficiency sector in 2018.

Its investment strategy encompasses financing, developing, and managing projects that significantly reduce energy demand and associated carbon emissions.

The Environmental Finance Sustainable Company Awards judges were impressed by the energy savings and environmental benefits the company has delivered.

An example of this is Baseload Capital, which develops small-scale geothermal projects that provide power and heat to end users with a reduction in CO₂ emissions when compared with the alternative.

Another is Iceotope Technologies, a precision immersion cooling solution for data centers that reduces their energy demand, which is critical given that data centers are among the largest and fastest-growing users of energy in the world.

Overall, SDCL says the energy savings achieved through SEEIT's projects, which also align with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, include:

• 1,202,528 metric tons of CO₂ emissions saved through energy-efficient solutions for the financial year ended 31 March 2023.
• 605,823 megawatt-hours (MWh) of renewable energy generated, equivalent to powering 20,657 households in the UK for a year, compared to 307,794 MWh in 2021.
• 387,868 MWh of energy saved annually through demand-side efficiency measures, equivalent to powering 16,252 thousand households in the UK for a year, compared to 242,161 MWh in 2021.

Jonathan Maxwell, founder and CEO of SDCL and investment manager of SEEIT, said: "We're proud to see that SEEIT's continued focus on providing sustainable infrastructure through its investment in energy efficiency projects is being recognised.

"Energy efficiency solutions are one of the cheapest and quickest ways to reduce carbon emissions, and with the world wasting two-thirds of its energy it is key for us all to turn our attention to ways in which we can halt this squandering and position ourselves in a more favourable position to succeed in the transition to net zero."