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Kingston University

Kingston University London SAVES 25% with Elcomponent Sub-metering

Kingston University is a major seat of learning with over 25000 students and 2,500 full-time members of staff. It comprises four main campus locations from the banks of the Thames in the West, to Wimbledon Common in the East.

With over 170 buildings from listed structures to the brand-new Business School at Kingston Hill, energy and carbon management is a major challenge, but the university continues to score highly for green credentials. KUL implemented its Carbon Management Plan in 2008, and is on target to reduce emissions by 35% by 2020 via a combination of focused investment and excellent management.

Fundamental to the strategy is the implementation of a comprehensive automatic sub-metering system across all three utilities. This provides half-hour data on both tariff and sub-meters, and can be configured to drive realtime Building Energy Dashboard Displays.

This was demonstrated very clearly when a major lighting and air handling upgrade was carried out at the University's Sopwith Building. Initial performance was good, but careful evaluation of the sub-meter data showed that some adjustments were needed, which once implemented resulted in a 25% drop in electricity usage. This equated to approximately 320,000 kWh over a year, or around 168 tons of CO2.

According to Energy Manager, Wayne Hitchings...

"It's essential for a number of reasons that the detailed consumption data which the system provides is readily available in a clear and concise form. One of those reasons is that it is crucial for the evaluation of new energy efficient plant and equipment - of which there is much - to ensure the projected savings are being achieved."