Highlight on… Derya, good product engineer

Derya: I’m the senior programme lead for our product growth staff. I joined Octopus final 12 months to work on a mission which is getting a whole lot of consideration in the intervening time: the Octopus House Mini (a CAD, or Shopper Entry Machine, which might unlock real-time good meter knowledge for patrons, to allow them to discover their power in actual time on-line like by no means earlier than).

I’m additionally engaged on the UX (that’s ‘consumer expertise’) design for the warmth pumps we’re putting in, in addition to creating controls that can enable customers to navigate their warmth pumps utilizing our app.

Over time, we hope to work on methods to permit clients much more management over their warmth pumps, to entry details about how their heating works and the way to save cash.

Derya: I studied electronics at College again residence in Turkey and as soon as I graduated I began in search of modern electronics firms. There was just one firm in the complete nation that was creating cordless telephones and I shortly joined them. After a number of years, I heard about an organization known as Nokia that was creating cell phones and I despatched my CV through Dial-up (this was within the pre-internet days!), and inside a number of weeks I used to be working on the UK Nokia headquarters as an engineer.

I spent 15 years at Nokia after which finally, totally different companies in our trade began to vanish with the rise of Apple. I went in search of another innovators within the technical engineering division, and landed at Hive engaged on constructing good houses for the long run.

Derya: Due to the beautiful Rebecca Dibb-Simkin. We labored collectively at Hive, the place she was defining/designing merchandise and I used to be creating/constructing them. She joined Octopus and reached out to inform me in regards to the extremely modern merchandise that Octopus was championing and creating and I knew that is the place I wanted to be.

Derya: I’ve been lucky sufficient to work on some extremely fascinating and modern merchandise. At Nokia I used to be answerable for our cell funds system utilizing expertise known as Close to Area Communications (NFC), which was far forward of its time and step one in the direction of placing cell funds into telephones.

I used to be additionally on the forefront of creating a method to get the web on cell phones, and my designs truly drove the Silicon trade to undertake WIFI expertise into cell phones.

All through my profession I’ve been capable of work on extremely leading edge, trade main stuff, however my work at Hive is what I’m most happy with as I used to be answerable for the tip to finish growth of total merchandise.

Derya: So, presently good meters include In House Shows, which let you view your consumption. Nonetheless, they don’t provide a whole lot of info, and it’s usually outdated/incorrect. It’s additionally confined to a room as they should be plugged right into a wall always, so usually folks will merely unplug it and overlook about the complete machine.

Our Octopus House Mini has 2 radios; a Zigbee radio and a WIFI radio. Over its Zigbee radio it connects to a wise meter via the Zigbee Good Power Community and retrieves close to actual time consumption knowledge. Over its WIFI radio it connects to the house WIFI router, and streams the utilization knowledge it retrieves immediately from the good meter to the Cloud and our Kraken platform.

Derya: The Octopus House Mini will allow us to discover power knowledge like by no means earlier than. It paves the way in which for the true energy of good meters to be unleashed, offering detailed, real-time knowledge which can enable us to unlock the home flexibility potential.

Because the world turns into increasingly inexperienced, and the utilization of electrical autos and sustainable merchandise grow to be extra prevalent, getting access to this knowledge is essential. Balancing the power grid will be sophisticated, notably when the world’s run on inexperienced sources just like the wind and solar – so this expertise is a game-changer within the trade.

While we’re nonetheless within the very early trial levels proper now, this product has the potential to profit clients massively as it should present updated utilization and pricing knowledge. So, you might instantly see what your present utilization is costing you, which isn’t an choice with the present IHDs. Paired with one among our agile tariffs, this might help you regulate your utilization in actual time to make sure the most affordable doable costs.

Derya: It was a brilliant fast turnaround. We pivoted from an R&D mission initiated by our Future Applied sciences Evangelist Phil Steele, first seen the design on the finish of 2021 and inside weeks we’d constructed the primary prototypes. After that it was only a matter of organising manufacturing on a bigger scale, and inside a number of weeks we had gadgets able to be shared.

Proper now, we’re in our pilot manufacturing stage, testing the product from finish to finish to make sure high quality earlier than doing a large launch.

Derya: There’s a whole lot of selection in my position, and it does depend upon what stage of product growth we’re at. I’m very concerned with the technical facet of designing and manufacturing our merchandise. I supervise each facet of product creation and my position is to make sure the complete course of goes easily. A very powerful factor is to guarantee high quality, with none delays so I spend my days continuously pondering of subsequent steps, figuring out any potential points and resolving them alongside my staff to make sure we’re hitting out key milestones.

Derya: I like drawback fixing. I’m very element oriented and technical so fixing complicated and complex points is what drove me to this area of labor. The one problem I’ve come throughout is the frustration of not with the ability to entry assets that I have to do my job. Nonetheless, I’m very fortunate on this position as Octopus offers me with all of the assets we have to carry our initiatives to life.

Derya: Groundbreaking, modern services and products are a part of the material of Octopus. It’s all half and parcel of the inexperienced world we wish to assist create. We wish to create worth to our firm and supply an essential service to our clients that they will’t get elsewhere.

Derya: In the mean time, probably the most thrilling factor I’m engaged on is the Octopus product that can present clients full management over their warmth pump. We’re fully overhauling the help system and permitting buyer’s full autonomy from the app to the machine.

(Need to discover out extra? Watch this area).

Additionally, I commute into London and secretly dream of finally getting a job with the Nationwide Rail and overhauling their system to be extra organised and environment friendly, haha.

Derya: Undoubtedly our software program platform, Kraken. A platform and database with such attain and effectivity is spectacular and might help modernise the complete trade. Past that I’m actually impressed by the totally different photo voltaic and wind applied sciences which might be remodeling the UK, and the complete world. I’m particularly impressed by the optimisation algorithms round these renewable power sources that can enable us all use power cheaply when the wind’s blowing.

Derya: As a girl, and as somebody from Turkey working in a really technical area, I do know what it’s prefer to really feel like an outsider, or have others treating you such as you don’t belong.

So, my recommendation is to work exhausting and be nice at your job as a result of in the end we’re all the identical. I’ve all the time felt like I can do something anybody else can do. Plus, to not be intimidated and to deal with honing your abilities, abilities and pursuits.