SCOTLAND
The University of Cambridge spent over £16 million on energy and it sparked the University Green Challenge.
18th November 2016
We recently read that over the course of 2014-2015 the University of Cambridge spent over £16 million on energy. We needed to take some time to stop and think about that. Here is the breakdown:
▪ The University spends £31 on energy every minute.
▪ The University spends £1,865 on energy every hour!
Energy is something that we all rely on, for universities, they strive to power success and education, but energy cost is always an afterthought. We all get our next utility bill in and think “Maybe if I hadn’t left the heating on at work” or “I didn’t need to keep the computer switched on overnight”. Preventing unnecessary energy use plays a vital role in the University’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions. The Cambridge Green challenge has already been put in place and they strive to reduce carbon emissions from energy use by 34% by 2020 against a 2005 baseline, aspiring to a long-term ambition to be carbon neutral from energy use by 2050.
As part of this NetThings, known for supplying tens of thousands of real-time energy monitoring systems to the domestic housing market, have closed a deal to to supply hundreds of these systems for new student accommodation apartments being created for Cambridge University students. This is the first deal of its kind and an exciting opportunity to join the Green Challenge in changing the perception of energy management for all students. The university has initiated this programme for that very same reason, to educate its students be more efficient and work towards their carbon neutral goals. We look forward to joining in this education. For example, did you know only 5% of the power drawn by a phone charger is used to charge the phone? The other 95% is wasted when it is left plugged in.
Terry Hawksby, our housing and business director, is leading this exciting opportunity and had this to say:
“We have supplied 370 units to date and purchase orders for a further 260 will supplied over the next 18 months. That is an incredible 630 units in total. Wates are doing one block of 265 and the balance will be supplied to Imtech Meica. We have a firm enquiry for a further 50+ for London area University for next year. These are the first ones that we have done and a welcome addition to our existing residential market sales which have doubled over the past 2 years.
Our volume sales have historically been to traditional housing but more recently for thousands of multi storey apartments with district/community heating systems where monitoring heat/cooling and water are required as well as electricity. This is a welcome additional to our supply portfolio and demonstrates the growing interest and relevance of real time energy monitoring which has proven to facilitate significant savings of typically 20% demonstrated on an independent report produced by Edinburgh Napier University. It is great to see that the students are being introduced to the concept of energy saving through behavioural change at an early stage”.