TWO Suffolk firms were among the winners at the 2013 UK Energy Innovation Awards, celebrating technologies which are helping to deliver a sustainable low-carbon future.

HTIP Ltd, which is based at Nacton, near Ipswich, won the New Energy Innovation Start Up award for the development of a novel solid state voltage regulator that will make domestic voltage regulation more cost effective, efficient and easy to install as a mass market product.

And Oxems (Oxford Electromagnetic Solutions Limited), based at Martlesham Heath, won the Best University Technology category for the creation of the world’s first commercially viable passive solution for locating, identifying and managing buried street based utility assets.

Collecting the award on behalf of HTIP, director Bob Preston said: “We’re really excited to win this award. We’ve had some amazing break-throughs with the technology and now look forward to working with other people interested in working in this area.

“To win this award is a great start to the future of developing the technology to manage higher and higher voltages and currents.”

Picking up the award on behalf of Oxems, chief executive Kevin Gooding said: “This is our first award win and we’re delighted and hope it will open a few new doors for us. It’s early days for our technology but it’s been trialling well so we are looking forward to the future.”

Addressing the 250 strong-audience, Denise Massey, managing director of the Energy Innovation Centre, which organised the award, said: “In the current economic climate there is very little or no alternative investment in the energy sector and whilst we are working to change this, the industry currently remains the main investor in innovation in this area.

“The industry has invested £2.7million into companies working with the centre between 2012 and 2013 and this level of investment is set to increase year on year.

“Of course it is a challenge for such big companies to work together in collaboration – to change what they do in order to allow small businesses to work with them.

“But the benefits to this way of working are clear and with the industry behind us, there’s no stopping us.”