THE UK’s 115 universities could save nearly £14m a year if they adopted a new energy management standard from the British Standards Institution it is claimed.
With the fluctuating price of energy one of the biggest costs for universities, a number have approached BSI about the new ISO 50001 international standard that sets out measures to reduce consumption and save money.
Sheffield Hallam, one of the UK’s largest universities with more than 36,000 students and 4,000 staff, implemented the standard across its facilities between January and May and has already saved £50,000 on its electricity bill.
Introduced in June 2011, ISO 50001 has been developed with input from experts in 60 countries, making it the first internationally recognised energy management standard. The standard outlines measures organisations need to implement to reduce energy usage.
Howard Kerr, BSI’s chief executive, said: “As central government funding for universities has fallen, many are under an increasing amount of cost pressures. Whilst higher tuition fees are helping plug the gap, the reality is that each of the UK’s 115 universities could save up to £120,000 a year if they implemented the world’s newest energy management standard ISO 50001.
“From installing new energy management technology such as motion sensors to embedding a culture of energy efficiency, there is a lot more UK universities can do to save money. Working with Sheffield Hallam University, we have saved them a significant amount of money which means it can now allocate more resources to salaries and other essential front lines services.”
