AN INNOVATIVE energy monitoring device designed by a Perth woman gained further recognition last night when Tanya Ewing took home the top prize as Inventor Of The Year at the tenth annual British Female Inventor and Innovator of the Year Awards in Cardiff.

Her Ewgeco invention that uses a ‘traffic-light’ display to show real-time use of electricity, water and gas also won Tanya (39) the Best Business Idea award.

A total of 40 women presented their entries to the judging panel at Cardiff’s City Hall and Paul Ambridge, president of the Institute of Patentees and Inventors, chaired the panel of 14 judges.

“This was the closest final we’ve ever had and it was very hard to select the overall winner from so many impressive entries,” he said.

Tanya has applied for an international patent for her invention. She has no formal engineering training, and as a dyslexic she was very keen to develop an easy-to-read display for her energy monitoring device.

It was her frustration at trying to extract useful information from her utility bills, coupled with her concern for improving energy efficiency, that gave her the idea of designing a single device to display how much energy and water a building is using at any moment.

“Tanya’s determination in getting her idea turned into a successful product is amazing,” said Sue Ratcliffe, one of the judges.

“She invested £50,000, using her house as security, to get to prototype stage and pay professional advisers, including a patent attorney.”