6. OUR RESULTS
49% reduction in energy usage
£163,000 saved per year
39 tonnes CO2e saved per year
ROI achieved within 30 days
30% reduction in energy usage
£103,644 saved per year
356 tonnes CO2e saved per year
ROI achieved within 90 days
£74,097 saved per year
97 tonnes CO2e saved per year
ROI achieved within 60 days
20% reduction in energy usage
£66,000 saved per year
41 tonnes CO2e saved per year
Consilium Academies is a Multi-Academy Trust and academy sponsor based in Salford, England
The Trust wanted to commit to reducing energy usage across its portfolio and becoming more sustainable by understanding and controlling the impact of each estate’s functionality
We implemented a system that integrated into each estate’s building management system and gave them an in-depth insight into its buildings
As a result, the Trust has saved £103,644 per annum by optimising energy usage and reduced carbon emissions by 356,453 kg
Consilium Academies is a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) that comprises nine schools and three hubs across the UK.
As well as educating children, the Trust’s vision is to "be a built environment which is not detrimental to the futures of our students or colleagues."
To help achieve this, the Trust recognised that its journey to sustainability would be about reducing its energy usage with better data management and a deeper understanding of how its buildings behave.
So, in May 2022, it sought our help in reducing energy usage across three academies: Ellesmere Park, Armthorpe Academy and Heworth Grange.
Like many educational organisations over the past few years, the three academies faced unsustainable rising energy costs of 500%.
The Trust wanted to understand the impact of each estate’s functionality to improve energy efficiency and become more sustainable, reduce carbon emissions and help reduce costs overall.
Alongside this, it wanted to uncover the impact of environmental elements like lighting, heating, acoustics, air quality and colour on learning spaces, and how it could improve these to better the learning experience and create more comfortable environments for students and staff.
We implemented our Edge2X technology, which integrated right into each building’s management system (without any need for complex upgrades or expensive replacements).
This system used machine learning and AI to build a "digital twin" of the buildings and give the Trust a deeper understanding of and control over environment, energy usage and associated costs.
Soon after implementation, the system began to identify systems that were being used inefficiently. For example, it found that out-of-hours boiler spikes had been consuming unnecessary gas.
With this information, the Trust could start making the necessary changes to its energy strategy and start making significant cost and carbon savings.
In fact, many savings were made through weekend optimisation and reducing the usage of unnecessary systems outside of school hours.
The information provided by Grid Edge will allow us to make better decisions about our school, and given the recent increases in energy costs, will help mitigate some of our financial risk.
As a result, each academy can now make better decisions about their schools, improve sustainability and cut costs.
Here are just some of the benefits they’ve realised in just under one year…
