News

The University Estates division, alongside our new partners OCS, will be working to help make our buildings work more efficiently, saving money on top of helping to reduce our carbon emissions. 

Over the course of the seven-year facilities management contract which began on 1 July, OCS have pledged to introduce a number of environmental sustainability innovations as well as a bespoke utility monitoring and reporting system. The system will use advanced data collection and Smart Building technology to manage and reduce energy use across campus. 

Here’s a closer look at what to expect from our new partnership and how it will help us to better track and curb our carbon emissions. 

Managing the way we all use energy 

Energy management has now come in-house: it is being run by the Sustainability Team to give us greater control as well as a better understanding of how we use energy on campus. 

The FM team, working with experts in OCS and alongside the University's Sustainability Team, will help to provide information that can help us run our estate as efficiently as possible.  

We will be able to utilise more data to better inform how we heat and light our buildings as the next phase of work to curb our energy usage gets underway.  

Over last winter, work to upgrade the Building Management Systems in 22 campus buildings helped to bring enhanced control over heating, lighting, and electrical systems, improving efficiency and reducing energy use. Wiring and sensors to monitor temperature and light levels were replaced, and software installed to process data from the sensors and identify trends and anomalies, enabling decision-making based on superior information. 

Making our buildings work smarter, not harder 

In their successful bid, OCS proposed the creation of a Smart Buildings Action Plan, using Advanced Building Intelligence (ABi) and leveraging AI and the internet of things to collect data and boost efficiency. At first, they will conduct a thorough audit of our existing building infrastructure to identify inefficiencies and look at the potential for smart technology integration. 

Measuring our carbon impact 

The new reporting system will enable us to set targets for any future energy reduction schemes. For the first time we will be able to establish a dependable baseline for measuring emissions from OCS, subcontractors and suppliers, and develop this as the contract progresses.  

In addition, OCS will set up a dashboard to report on our carbon emissions and costs, waste and recycling rates, water consumption and quality, and social value. This will be followed by an annual report that will highlight opportunities to reduce our environmental impact. 

Want to find out more? 

Read about how the new partnership will make it easier to log and track jobs, enhance our existing processes for carrying out maintenance, and help to improve the student experience via supported internships, student job opportunities and better mental health support. 

If you have any questions about the future of our FM services, please contact bettercampus@sussex.ac.uk