Energy efficiency could save universities £13.8m

Sheffield Hallam University, one of the largest in the UK, implemented the new standard called ISO 50001 in between January and May this year and have saved £50,000 so far.

Introduced in June 2011, ISO 50001 is an international standard, developed by experts from more than 60 countries that lays out the latest best practice in energy management.

BSI have calculated that if all the other universities implemented similar changes then the total saved on electricity bills across the board could amount to nearly £14m.

The standard outlines practical measures for reducing energy usage which includes insight on energy saving technology such as smart metres, guidance on how to measure and document energy consumption and advice on building a culture of energy efficiency.

BSI chief executive Howard Kerr said: “As central government funding for universities has fallen many are under an increasing amount of cost pressures. Whilst higher tuition fees are helping plug the gap, the reality is that each of the UK’s 115 universities could save up to £120,000 a year if they implemented the world’s newest energy management standard ISO 50001.

“From installing new energy management technology such as motion sensors to embedding a culture of energy efficiency, there is a lot more UK universities can do to save money. Working with Sheffield Hallam University, we have saved them a significant amount of money which means it can now allocate more resources to salaries and other essential front lines services.”

Conor McGlone