Celebrating Excellence: Highlights and Winners from the 2026 Global Partner Awards

partnersMay 21, 2026

What an incredible event! On 19th May 2026, our global community came together digitally for the highly anticipated 2026 Partner Awards. Because our network spans across continents, we took to Zoom to host a truly virtual celebration, ensuring that our Partners from every corner of the world could connect, share, and celebrate together.

The event was hosted by our Channel Sales Director, Ben Willcocks, and featured inspiring contributions and insights from our CEO, Troy Wrigley, alongside Simon Jennings, Head of UK Direct Operations for Best.Energy.

This annual event is far more than just handing out trophies; it is a celebration of the outstanding achievements, relentless innovation, and collaborative spirit across our Global Partner Network over the past year. Plus, it is an opportunity to share some exciting company updates and developments with our global network.

Before we dive into the winners, we want to extend a huge thank you to everyone within our Partner community. The level of dedication, real-world impact, and immense progress achieved this year has been nothing short of exceptional. It is an absolute privilege to recognise and showcase the incredible work being done across all regions, coming together digitally to honour these success stories that continue to drive our industry forward.

If you missed the live event or want to relive the excitement, you can watch the full event recording right here.

The 2026 Award Winners and Nominees

The competition this year was incredibly strong, with groundbreaking projects and exceptional leadership making the judging process harder than ever. Here are the categories, the brilliant nominees, and the ultimate winners of the 2026 Partner Awards:

Energy Manager of the Year

Celebrating the individual champions who go above and beyond to drive efficiency, manage data meticulously, and deliver outstanding savings for their clients.

The nominees: Jayaram Krishnan (Best.Energy UAE), Rex Khary (Joules and Watts), Martin Roman (Recusost), John Elia (Best.Energy USA), Jens Koster Kristensen (IQ Energy).

Winner: Jayaram Krishnan – Best.Energy UAE

For the second year in a row, an Energy Manager from Best.Energy UAE has won the Energy Manager of the Year award. Jayaram’s skill set, expertise, and experience over his career in BMS optimisation and control mean he successfully identifies savings for big clients like Taaleem School, delivering outstanding energy and cost savings time and time again. Congratulations Jayaram!

Best Newcomer

This award recognises the newest members of our network who have hit the ground running, showing incredible passion, alignment, and early momentum.

The nominees: Qub Energy, Lotus West, Vision Green Consultancy, Wellman Energy Solutions, SR Smart Building Solutions, Zeronify, Energy Data Solutions.

Winner: Zeronify

A huge well done to our Best Newcomer, Gareth Hughes from Zeronify. Gareth is a true entrepreneur who, despite having no experience in the energy efficiency industry, has shown impressive momentum, commitment, and growth. Gareth got stuck in right from the get-go and has even worked closely with us to produce a case study on one of his plastics manufacturing clients, Bonaprene, demonstrating his enthusiasm and drive for success.

Most Innovative Project of the Year

Shining a light on the creative, outside-the-box applications of energy management technology in unique, complex, or challenging environments.

The nominees: Sinchiwayra Mines (Bolivia) (Recusost), Autonation Canada / Car Dealerships (Peak Energy Solutions), Allied Aviation (Best.Energy USA), Daktronics (Energy Data Solutions), Bonaprene (Zeronify).

Winner: Allied Aviation – Best.Energy USA

Best.Energy USA is a worthy winner of the Most Innovative Project of the Year award with their forward-thinking Allied Aviation project. This is a fantastic example of how the Best.Energy products can be used creatively to achieve multiple goals. This client was not just driven by energy and cost savings – in fact, that was just a byproduct of this opportunity. The team was able to look at what the client wanted and adapt and use the Eniscope technology primarily for predictive maintenance on jet fuel pumps, with impressive results.

Energy Saving Project of the Year

This category highlights the projects that delivered remarkable, tangible reductions in energy consumption, proving the power of our collective technology.

The nominees: Taleem Schools (Best.Energy UAE), Kudu (IoT Energy), Optima (Joules & Watts), Williamson Diamond Mine (Best.Energy Kenya), Tropic (Best.Energy SEE), KFI Dagrofa (IQ Energy), Fossil Farms (Best.Energy USA).

Winner: KFI – IQ Energy

IQ Energy in Denmark took home the award for the best Energy Saving Project of the Year for their KFI project. This project was one of the largest in scale so far, managing the KFI supermarket real estate across 160 sites and integrating with their BMS and utilities companies too. This has required strong project management from the IQ Energy team, resulting in exceptional energy cost savings of over 800,000 euros per year.

Special Category: Net Zero Leadership

A special recognition for exemplary commitment, strategy, and execution in driving organisations toward a sustainable, zero-carbon future.

Winner: Maris Keijser – Head of Operations, Taaleem School

Our special award category goes to Maris Keijser, Head of Operations from Taaleem School, who is a true energy champion in the education sector, helping to shape future generations in UAE. His values align with the goals of Amer and the team from Best.Energy UAE, as he strongly demonstrates Net Zero Leadership to help improve and drive sustainability and energy efficiency at Taaleem School. Congratulations Maris!

Partner of the Year

Our premier award of the night, honouring the Partner who has demonstrated all-around excellence, outstanding commercial growth, and an unwavering commitment to the Best.Energy mission.

The nominees: Best.Energy UAE, IoT Energy, Best.Energy USA, IQ Energy, Best.Energy South Africa.

Winner: Best.Energy South Africa

The 2026 Partner of the Year title goes to Best.Energy South Africa, for the second year running! This year, they have followed up on last year’s performance, and they’re delivering across every area of the business, from the marketing and sales funnel to delivery, execution and savings, as well as the sheer volume and velocity of projects. The team has been outstanding, and their consistent effort and impressive results have been phenomenal. We’re very proud of your achievements!

Looking Ahead

A massive congratulations to all of our winners and a heartfelt round of applause to every single nominee. Your efforts are paving the way for a more sustainable, energy-efficient world.

As we move forward into the remainder of 2026, we’re more inspired than ever by the power of our global network. Let’s keep pushing the boundaries of innovation, smashing energy-saving targets, and leading the charge toward Net Zero!

You can catch up on all the speeches, reactions, and insights by watching the Zoom event recording now.