Housing tech app secures £25,000 boost

A technology platform helping elderly and vulnerable residents manage sustainable home technology is targeting further growth after securing £25,000 of funding.

HomeHub, founded by former teacher and project manager Lee Gatley-Hall, has developed an app designed to help residents understand technology in their homes while connecting directly with landlords and accessing support.

Lee identified the need for the platform through his experience working across local authority housing, private sector delivery partners and his own consultancy.

He said: “There was an elderly lady on my street, she’d had a new air source heat pump installed but she didn’t realise how different it was to a boiler. 

“Her energy bills had absolutely skyrocketed. 

“After speaking to her son and daughter, I got a local company to come and have a look at things for her. 

“I then sat with her and asked her, if she could get this kind of help on her phone, would she have a go? 

“Once I showed her how to use her iPhone to get apps, she seemed keener.”

After developing an initial prototype, he secured a £25,000 Start Up Loan with support from Business Enterprise Fund (BEF) North East to improve the platform’s functionality and user experience.

HomeHub now has more than 400 registered users, offering digital guidebooks, instructional videos and energy-saving advice alongside recommendations for local suppliers.

The platform is designed to help residents better understand and manage sustainable technologies increasingly being introduced into homes.

With HomeHub now generating revenue, Lee is exploring further investment and finance opportunities to scale the business.

Lee added: “The process was a lot easier than I thought it would be. 

“The guidance Shannon sent over lines up perfectly with what we were doing. 

“It was all done within a month, and in the scheme of things, it was quite low risk. 

“It made miles more sense than a bank loan.”

The Start Up Loans programme has provided around 6800 loans to eligible businesses across the North East, lending more than £66 million to support the creation and growth of small businesses in the region.

Shannon Donaghy, associate investment manager at BEF North East, added: “This is a case where two organisations’ values aligned perfectly.

“Home Hub and BEF North East are both committed to helping vulnerable people and marginalised communities achieve better standards. 

“We’re proud to be able to get behind HomeHub’s development. 

“Lee is doing amazing work ensuring nobody gets left behind as our economy transitions towards a greater focus on sustainability.”

Louise McCoy, managing director, start up loans products at the British Business Bank, added: “The Start Up Loans programme exists to help entrepreneurs like Lee turn innovative ideas into sustainable businesses.

“By providing access to finance and tailored support, we’re enabling founders across the UK to develop solutions that make a real difference to consumers and communities while helping innovative businesses grow and scale.

“It’s great to see this support helping to bring an innovative solution like HomeHub to market.”

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