BSEE


COMMUNAL LIVING


University of St Andrews to slash carbon footprint


The University of St Andrews has embarked on a £3.75m energy conservaon overhaul to reduce its carbon footprint by 950 tonnes a year and save £650,000, a year in operang costs. Among the energy saving measures being deployed is a new district heang network to supply heat and power to University


buildings in the centre of St Andrews, installing new energy ecient LED lighng, and fing solar power units at the sports centre. State of the art smart building management systems are to be installed and air handling unit fans and fume cupboards are to be upgraded.


T


he project was procured through the Scottish Government Non Domestic Energy Efficiency (NDEE) Framework and will be delivered by sustainable energy specialists Vital Energi who previously delivered the University’s £25m biomass energy scheme at Eden Campus.


The NDEE project will see improvements made to 30 University buildings representing in excess of 190,000m2 of floor space. The buildings were selected as they represent the highest energy usage across the campus, which equates to approximately 85% of the University’s annual energy spend.


St Andrews Quaestor Derek Watson said, “We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint and increasing our energy efficiency wherever possible as we move towards our goal of becoming carbon neutral for our energy use. “This ambitious project, delivered by our partners Vital Energi, will enable the University to significantly improve the energy efficiency of our infrastructure and systems and allow us play our part in reducing carbon emissions and to save money to invest in world-class education and research in these difficult financial times.”


Clear in their Ambition


Vital Energi operations manager for Scotland, Scott Lutton, said “The University of St Andrews are inspirational for their approach to lowering carbon, not only in the education sector, but the UK as a whole. They are clear in their ambition and have developed a long-term plan for becoming carbon neutral for energy and this is another significant step towards making that ambition a reality.


“The NDEE is a successful Scottish Government framework which allows organisations to balance their low-carbon ambitions with financial stability,


26 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER DECEMBER 2019


ensuring that the improvements not only pay for themselves, but also generate a profit over the course of their design life.”


Energy saving measures included:


u Enhancements to Heat Distribution Systems – This includes upgrading pumps from fixed speed to variable speed and installing 2-port control valves. Optimised system control will enable system efficiency and reduce energy usage.


uFume Cupboard Upgrades – The University’s fume cupboards consume high amounts of energy and the introduction of variable speed extract systems and auto-sash closers will enable this to be significantly reduced.


uBuilding Management Systems – Installation of new smart campus technologies and optimisation of existing BMS installations will greatly improve the control of building HVAC systems and environmental conditions.


uAir Handling Unit Fans – The University has multiple aging fans and replacing these with modern, high efficiency EC fans will generate significant energy savings.


uLED Lighting Improvements – By replacing the existing aging lighting infrastructure with modern LED luminaires, the University are able to save between 50-60% of their lighting energy costs whilst improving lighting levels and user comfort.


u New District Heating Network – A new district heating network complete with combined heat and power (CHP) system will supply heat and power to a number of University buildings in the Old Town campus. This measure will reduce energy bills, consolidate existing heating plant, increase campus resilience and provide an expandable heating network for future building connections.


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uSolar PV – The installation of a 100kWp solar PV array to the Phase 3 Sport Centre roof, generating carbon-free electricity.


About Vital Energi


Vital Energi provides sustainable and renewable energy solutions in the public and private sectors and is responsible for many of the UK’s most prestigious energy projects. Vital Energi can deliver all aspects of a project from energy management, generation and distribution along with metering and billing and long-term asset management or ESCo partnership. With projects throughout the UK and offices in Blackburn, London and Scotland we specialise in helping clients lower their energy spend and carbon footprint through sustainable and viable solutions.


For more information about Vital Energi visit: www.vitalenergi.co.uk


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