Oxford University Estates Services
Oxford, UK
Higher education, lower carbon.
The University of Oxford has a diverse portfolio of buildings across multiple sites. In 2011, the university set an ambitious target, to reduce Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 33 percent by the end of 2020/21 (against a 2005/6 baseline) across its portfolio. Following this, in December 2014, we began a programme of building performance improvements for 26 buildings to support the University of Oxford in meeting this challenge.
Working with what we had.
A significant part of our plan was to improve the efficiency of the existing building stock by working with the university to optimise how the building management system’s (BMS) were being used, without resorting to new equipment. This approach ensured that we could minimise both cost and the day-to-day impact on learning.
It’s good to talk.
Key to the success of the project was communication and making sure that the people who used the buildings understood how to use the services correctly. Overall, the results were astounding and this cost-effective approach to carbon savings is ensuring that the university is on track to successfully hit its tough carbon reduction goals ahead of schedule.