Demand Logic is a software tool that provides actionable intelligence to property managers and building contractors. It delivers quantifiable benefits in a short space of time and makes the management of buildings easier.

This phase of collaboration with Energy Catapult Systems involved carrying out qualitative research and proposition testing to further refine user needs and develop the organisation’s building and energy management services offer.

Energy Systems Catapult also worked with the business to raise an interim, pre-series funding round.

The challenge 

Demand Logic required a deep, razor focused analysis of the needs, wants and challenges of those commissioning and using building and energy management system and their evolving priorities. They sought to further evaluate the service proposition within the target market via customer insights analysis.

This work would inform product development and the next iteration of what service design would look like, as well as serve as the foundation for a digital refresh of the go to market message, also enabled by the Energy Catapult. Ultimately this piece of work sought to overcome barriers for adoption, how best to articulate benefits with a laser-like focus on the target market, create deeper engagement and to create a seamless digital customer journey.

The innovation

Demand Logic is a software platform and consulting service offering real-time analysis and visualisation of Building Management Service data to help owners and operators of large commercial properties optimise energy use and lower carbon emissions. Via feedback loops and the visual dashboards, the solution puts the power to reduce energy usage back in the hands of commercial building owners’ hands by collecting, analysing and democratising data, and sharing control settings to allow owners to take action.

In addition to creating optimum air quality and occupier wellbeing, the capabilities also help enable condition-based and a predicative maintenance program.

The solution

Energy Systems Catapult assisted Demand Logic to:

• Accelerate their time to market through the support of the Climate Innovation Platform (CIP) with HSBC, Energy Systems Catapult and University of Birmingham. The business had access to tailored incubation manager support including mentoring, customer insights research, funding connections, and investor / pitch preparation, as well as advice on evolving energy regulations.
• Define user needs: The Catapult commissioned qualitative research to help Demand Logic understand the needs of end users and to evaluate the attitudes of the target market via one-on-one interactive online interviews and explorative scenario walk throughs. This interrogated the entire building-management eco-system including direct stakeholders, like owners and engineers and indirect stakeholders like tenants, owner occupants, investors and regulators.
• Gain market understanding: The research explored external market forces like rising energy costs, investor needs, evolving legislation, renewables, post-covid hygiene concerns, environmental concerns and new hybrid ways of working

The impact

Demand Logic were able to understand the priorities for key stakeholders within their user networks, how they overlap and how that impacts the market message and strategy for each user group.

• Better understanding of Demand Logic’s impact in the ecosystem also identified four areas to address within the product-lifecycle to drive future growth in a crowded and competitive market.
• Improvements to the solution UX, integrations and automations, as well as revamping the website.
• Funding support to buy links for patents and product development and help meet related legal costs as they secured their Intellectual Property.
• Demand Logic were able to secure meetings with the University of Birmingham to discuss implementing their control system within the university’s buildings.

Next steps

• Crucially, the comprehensive and scalable analytics Demand Logic identify the actual cause and not just the effect of poor performance – providing users with solutions to improving energy efficiency.
• Next steps include the creation of a marketing playbook and articulating the consumer insights feedback into the go to market strategy.
• The business is also exploring further integrations and automations which improve service delivery and reporting capabilities to deepen engagement of their offer.
• Demand Logic seek additional opportunities to demonstrate the newly iterated product and service to stakeholders and decision makers.