By Kas Mohammed, Schneider Electric’s VP, Digital Energy in the UK and Ireland
University campuses face some of the most intricate challenges in implementing effective sustainability strategies. The wide range of building ages, varying physical conditions, and diverse uses make sustainability a formidable task for facilities and estates managers.
But we can’t let these complexities derail our efforts to decarbonise in the higher education sector. In 2021, UK universities and further education colleges emitted over 18 million tonnes of CO2e, accounting for approximately 2.3% of the UK’s total carbon footprint. Unfortunately, reports from 2024 indicate minimal progress in the sector, with a mere 1% reduction in carbon emissions this year. This highlights the urgent need for a more effective approach.
As centres of innovation, education, and research, universities are ideally placed to pioneer new sustainability technologies and developments. The key to achieving decarbonisation targets lies in a three-step approach: strategise, digitise, and decarbonise.
Strategise – Planning for Sustainability
Delivering a smart, sustainable campus for students should be top of the agenda for building and estates managers. The key to creating effective net-zero strategies on campus is finding innovative ways to reduce energy consumption and improve efficiency. Not only is this essential for hitting environmental, social and governance (ESG) targets, but also for driving down costs at a time when university budgets are tighter than ever.
First, plotting a clear mission for campus sustainability is crucial. Factors such as digital transformation of operations, turning buildings into fully connected, smart sites, and using data and technology to bring together people, processes, and services are key to success. Whether it is retrofitting existing buildings to cut construction greenhouse gases, reduce embodied carbon, and minimise costs, or ensuring that the technology is installed at the time of construction for new builds, a robust strategy at this stage will act as a roadmap for campus-wide innovation and sustainability gains. It is imperative that building managers get this step right. And with many UK campuses categorised by such a diverse portfolio of buildings, creating a solid foundation for digitisation and decarbonisation means that sustainability works can happen faster.
However, buildings and facilities managers must also keep the user front of mind in their approach. Whether it is staff, students, or visitors, their comfort and experience must remain a priority. Flexible lighting, heating, and cooling is an integral part of a smart campus strategy. Post-Covid, students are accustomed to working in an environment that suits their needs. Facilities managers must look to create the ultimate learning, working, or studying experience – whether that be through darker or lighter, warmer or colder, noisier or quieter spaces. This strategy stage lays the groundwork for meeting both user needs and sustainability goals.
Digitise – Embracing Digital Transformation
Ultimately, sustainability strategies and digital transformation should go together. Digitising campus energy relies on smart sensors, IoT technologies, and cloud-based analytics to create a fully connected network. By integrating with systems such as BEMS (Building Energy Management System), NFC (Near Field Communication), Computer-Aided Facility Management (CAFM), and Integrated Workplace Management Systems (IWMS), building managers can reap the most rewards from their digital investments.
For instance, by using smart sensors and an integrated, data-driven BEMS, facilities managers can monitor occupancy, air quality, CO2 emissions, and ambient factors. With dynamic monitoring of building conditions and automated management, students, staff, and visitors can enjoy the comfort benefits of a smart campus environment.
It offers insights into energy usage and power quality in real time. This powers more informed decisions that improve building performance and drive campuses towards their sustainability goals.
Facilities managers can also use this data to proactively identify areas for increased building performance and reliability. For instance, digitisation gives facilities managers the tools to avoid unplanned downtime. Thanks to the evolved connectivity of smart campuses with 24/7 remote monitoring, experts can remotely monitor, troubleshoot, and analyse connected assets to help maximise uptime, improve maintenance, and reduce energy usage and costs.
Decarbonisation – Adopting a data-led approach
The final step is to use this strategy and digitisation to power a data-led approach to decarbonisation. Working smarter to reduce energy consumption and therefore minimise carbon emissions is one of the fastest, most effective ways to reach net-zero targets. What’s more, these data-backed insights could even lead to new ways of producing energy on-campus, or the creation of a prosumer hub. The ability to effectively pinpoint where innovations could be made is invaluable, such as the electrification of campus buildings, and introduction of renewable on-site energy sources.
The University of Birmingham is a prime example of a sustainable, smart campus. Its ultramodern School of Engineering monitors over 200 building assets across more than 1,200 connected points, enabling the University to quickly analyse building performance across comfort, energy, and maintenance metrics. With the technology and support of the Schneider Electric team, the University of Birmingham achieved a 20% reduction in CO2 four years ahead of target. It now generates 75% of its own energy via on-site combined heat and power plants and continues to reduce its carbon footprint by 3,000 tonnes per year on average. This really does highlight what can be achieved through to a proactive, data-led approach to buildings management.
Paving the Way for Future Innovators
The data we gather today can play a crucial role in educating the next generation of facilities managers and energy innovators as we move to smarter, more sustainable buildings.
For instance, integrating campus energy data into the curriculum for engineering students can provide them with real-time insights into building management and sustainable solutions. This approach not only enhances their learning experience but also prepares them to tackle real-world challenges effectively.
Moreover, with sustainability and net-zero commitments becoming increasingly important to prospective students, universities stand to gain significantly by prioritising these initiatives. A remarkable 87% of students express a desire for their chosen institutions to take sustainability seriously, underscoring the urgency for immediate action. Embracing this sustainability roadmap benefits not only the environment but also the university’s financial health.
Taking action around sustainability, from admissions to emissions is vital. Implementing data-driven, smart strategies facilitates proactive energy management, delivering enriched, personalised experiences while achieving reducing carbon emissions. This innovative approach creates a replicable sustainability roadmap for the entire university estate, equipping the next generation of engineers with the experience, insights, and tools necessary to develop future sustainability strategies.
