GLASGOW-based software company arbnco has highlighted its US growth plans, after signing a deal with the University of California, Davis.

UC Davis, one of 10 University of California campuses, will deploy two of arbnco’s proprietary software solutions to enable it to identify energy and cost savings in buildings, and understand indoor air quality conditions, in offices and classrooms.

Read More: Ian McConnell: Paris metro poster for slapstick British farce evokes Brexit metaphor

Arbnco said this adoption of its technologies would be the “first US market test” for the company, and would help it to “develop its software for further deployment across America”.

The Glasgow company announced the opening of its first US office, in Detroit, this month. And it highlighted plans to open a second US office, in California, early this year. It said it was targeting the US as its “first major export country”.

Arbnco, founded in 2012, develops technological solutions aimed at enhancing energy performance, improving sustainability and reducing carbon outputs in commercial and public sector buildings.

Read More: Ian McConnell: We should all cheer Government Brexit vote defeats - they may help save UK from itself

The company, which noted it had conducted “numerous” research projects with the University of Strathclyde, said its UK industry partners included Nuveen Real Estate and Mitsubishi Electric R&D Centre Europe.

Established in 1905, UC Davis has more than 36,000 students across its 7,309-acre campus.

Maureen Eisbrenner, co-founder, chief executive and chairman of arbnco, said: “UC Davis is renowned for being a leader in energy research, and is forging the way amongst US academic institutions when it comes to developing and implementing efficient, sustainable energy solutions. Alongside our research partnership with the University of Strathclyde, we are bringing together some of the finest minds in the field to overcome some major global challenges regarding energy efficiency."

She added: “Globally, $236 billion was spent on improving energy efficiency in 2017, and 59 per cent of that was in the buildings sector, so the opportunity for arbnco is huge both in the US and the rest of the world.”

Read More; Ian McConnell: 2018 - A year of unhinged behaviour on Brexit front

Arbnco said that, in the first of several projects in which it would be involved, its software would be utilised by UC Davis as part of a pilot programme funded by the US Office of Naval Research.

It added that the software would first analyse the data gathered from energy audits of the university buildings, and generate automatic reports which identified opportunities for energy and cost savings, and recommended retrofit solutions.

Arbnco noted that, if successful, the programme would then lead to a demonstration on a local Navy installation, with the “eventual aim of reducing the US Navy’s energy use across its facilities”.

It added: “Ultimately, there is significant potential for arbnco’s software to be utilised more widely by other branches of the US military and the US Department of Defence.”

Another project will focus on the impact of air quality on the health and well-being of students.