The University of Warwick - Case Study

The University of Warwick

Lightwave was selected to participate in a £500,000 government-backed project in collaboration with the University of Warwick to prove that significant energy savings could be made by retrofitting existing buildings with simple and affordable smart technology. 300 offices in a large campus building at the University were chosen to be retrofitted with Lightwave devices in an attempt to reduce heating costs. Prior to this study, many of these rooms were constantly heated despite being unoccupied and windows left open. The aim was to be able to control any room without affecting others, and implement flexible, automatic schedules from anywhere.

Significant savings

From the previous 4 years of data, the average annual carbon emissions associated with heating the building was 357 tonnes and the cost of heating was £44,563. From the results gained after analysing the performance of the Lightwave system, it was calculated that an average energy saving of 20% across the building could be expected. This equates to an annual saving of £8,900 (71 tonnes of Carbon). A more detailed thermal modeling analysis predicted that savings of between 42% and 46% could be achieved in rooms where windows were frequently left open (as the system would automatically switch off the heating).

Improved Optimisation

The study represents an early adoption of the technology. With ongoing improvements, refinements and optimisation, Lightwave firmly believes that even better savings can now be achieved and results are eagerly awaited.