On course to meet carbon neutral target

Since opening its doors in 1992, Plymouth University has welcomed thousands of students at its Drake Circus campus. As a leading research body, it is vital that the university’s buildings are working efficiently, in order to create a comfortable working environment for students and staff alike.

The university takes its carbon commitments seriously and is aiming to be carbon neutral by 2030. In order to achieve this, strict targets have been set in place. Plymouth aims to save 3000t of CO2 and £500,000 in energy costs per annum. The new solutions implemented by Schneider Electric will play a key part in achieving this, as they are set to save the university around £300,000 and 1900t of CO2 over the next 4 years.

To meet the university’s strategic sustainability objectives, a number of solutions were required that would work with the existing asset investments and make a tangible difference to its energy usage, while creating a comfortable place to study, work and socialise.

As a result of the collaboration, Plymouth University, Schneider Electric and Cisco have unveiled an integrated ICT and BEMS which connects with Cisco EnergyWise to report on and potentially control energy consuming devices and systems in public or private buildings. Such functionality is vital in managing student and staff demands for better energy efficiency, as well as improved economic benefits, all while creating a future proofed system that is ready for the SMART Grid.

The Cisco EnergyWise suite is a platform that sits within the existing IT network, and from there, monitors and controls every single IT device connected to that network, without the need for a software rollout. It is very easy to install, configure, and maintain going forward.

There are two systems (BEMS and ICT) at the core of the solution and by integrating it through a new gateway, the system has enabled Plymouth University to achieve its three main objectives:

●      Immediate emissions savings and a reduction in operational expenditure with a payback period of less than 5 years

●      Enhanced intelligence for on-going management and policy development

●      A long term strategy for the converged management of energy related systems and assets

In partnership with Schneider Electric, the university developed and implemented a campus-wide solution that incorporates significant enhancement of the BEMS, on-site utility and commodity metering and reporting, as well as offering best practice stakeholder engagement.

It was imperative that Schneider Electric ensured that the building runs at optimal efficiency at all times. It was also vital that staff and students were made aware of the changes and the part they have to play in helping the university meet its targets.

The information provided by Schneider Electric and Cisco to the university hasn’t just helped the university to manage its current energy demand, it has given the team visibility of the building’s energy use, which can be used to build business cases for future investment in the estate’s assets.

Other benefits include the ability to integrate data and information from the project into legislative compliance and reporting documents, as well as providing data to students and academics to work on as part of their courses. 

Paul Lumley from Plymouth University, comments: "Sustainability is an increasingly important issue for our students; we have been successful in reducing our carbon emissions but realised that we had to do more to achieve our deadline of becoming completely carbon neutral by 2030.

"We opted to work with Schneider Electric and Cisco on our energy saving project due to the impressive savings that the proposed solution would enable us to achieve, as well as both company’s excellent track record. The remarkable five year payback period was also a key factor in our decision making process.

"We look forward to working alongside both teams as we continue to monitor the university and strive to meet our targets.”