19 September 2024

Transforming sustainability in higher education

UWTSD aims high with renewable energy investments and machine learning analytics

The University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) is investing in machine learning technology to support its ambitious plans to be a leading university for energy sustainability.

UWTSD, which has campuses in Swansea, Carmarthen, Lampeter, Cardiff, London and Birmingham, is already reaping the benefits of a solar power strategy – now it’s turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to transform energy efficiency across its entire estate. 

The University is using AMR DNA, an Energy Assets service, to apply AI-informed machine learning analytics to drive out energy waste, optimise efficiency, reduce consumption, and make significant steps toward net zero carbon emissions. The AMR DNA software, powered by kWIQly, progressively learns what the best energy performance looks like in each building, and automatically flags up in near real-time unusual spikes in energy usage, which can be quickly addressed by the University.

“Our vision is to build on our existing position as a leading UK university for energy sustainability,” says Dan Priddy, Finance and Business Performance Manager at UWTSD. “We’re taking real actions that will reduce Scope 1 (direct) and Scope 2 (indirect) greenhouse gas emissions by 95% by 2030.

“This will be made possible by infrastructure upgrades, more investment in renewable energy, the adoption of Net Zero construction standards on new buildings and, critically, by applying machine learning technologies,” says Dan.

“We’re already seeing the benefits of this approach. Thanks to the installation of solar panels, the electricity demand at the Dynevor building, home to UWTSD’s Swansea Art College, is significantly met by renewable generation. Now, with the move to machine learning, we aim to ensure that our entire estate is optimised for energy efficiency and emissions reduction.”

Identifying the fingerprints of consumption

Working with the University, AMR DNA analysed years’ worth of historical meter data to identify the unique ‘fingerprints’ of consumption that would provide an energy benchmark for each of the UWTSD buildings. The software models what ‘normal’ consumption looks like, taking account of multiple factors, such as occupancy levels and operating hours, and ‘learns’ what optimal performance should look like.

Using pattern recognition linked to key performance indicators, the system interrogates metered data to spot tell-tale signs of energy waste. This waste can result from something as simple as equipment running needlessly or lights being left on overnight or might be linked to incorrect heating timeclock controls, over-compensation for ambient weather conditions, or high summer base loads.

“We operate six campuses covering everything from student accommodation, libraries, teaching spaces and offices to engineering workshops, manufacturing units and sports facilities,” says Dan. “This creates an estate with a lot of nuances, which makes the manual tracking of energy consumption very difficult and time-consuming.

“But with machine learning, we not only see the big trends, but we also pick up on smaller issues that we would never have identified in the grand scheme of things…but they all add up. The amount of manual resource you would need to capture this level of detail would be ridiculous, but now we can, using AI.”

UWTSD started using the system in the latter part of 2023 and has already seen some significant benefits. For example, when heating had been inadvertently left on in an unattended building, the machine learning system flagged this, and it was fixed almost immediately.

“Of course, some spikes are easily explained, for example, if a 3D printer is working overnight,” says Dan, “but where there is nothing obvious, we see the AMR DNA alert and ask the site teams to investigate. It means we have a clearer picture of energy consumption across the entire estate, with a greater ability not only to spot consumption spikes more easily but also to address them quickly.”

AMR DNA currently tracks performance across gas services but is about to be trialled at UWTSD to monitor efficiency in electricity networks, using data collected from fiscal meters and sub-metered areas.

Engaging the student population

UWTSD sets its energy efficiency programme in a wider sustainability context and is active in engaging with its student population, running induction programmes for new students and staff and holding an annual Sustainability Week. Single-use plastic has been banned from food outlets, disposable coffee cups are being phased out, and the University has achieved Green Flag status for its maintenance of the Carmarthen and Lampeter campuses ecosystems.

Joint action with the Students’ Union has resulted in significant progress in waste reduction and recycling rates, along with improvements to the local ecosystem by cultivating wildflower meadows.

Recent *research shows that sustainability is one of the top reasons for students selecting an educational institution.

At UWTSD, students on environmental and sustainability courses are engaged in practical projects using the University estate. This includes using energy data from the University in real-life case studies.

The University has recently established an Energy Efficiency Group dedicated to spearheading efforts towards consumption reduction within campuses. This aims to serve as a focal point for coordinating, implementing, and monitoring various energy-saving initiatives, to build accountability, ownership and to drive associated behavioural change across staff and students.

Significant infrastructure upgrades are also underway, notably via Salix loan support for renewables, in smart metering, electric heating, double and triple-glazed replacement windows and LED lighting. In the next 12 months, UWTSD expects to generate a total of 700,000 kilowatt hours of onsite solar power – satisfying about 12% of its total anticipated electricity demand. The University’s remaining electricity needs are all sourced from zero-carbon providers.

TEC Partnership with AMR DNA

UWTSD is benefiting from a framework agreement across the higher education sector between AMR DNA and The Energy Consortium (TEC). TEC is a Contracting Authority owned by its members which delivers a wide range of services in energy procurement, data reporting, risk management and cost reduction on a not-for-profit basis.

In 2023 alone, this partnership identified and stopped 101 significant energy waste events on university campuses with a notional value of £345,000. In addition, 14 new non-waste KPIs, tracking measures such as high summer base loads, poor timeclock control and overcompensation for weather variation, were incorporated by AMR DNA into BMS strategies, resulting in a further £325,000 of waste addressed.

As a result, campuses adopting this AI-informed machine learning approach have seen a 30% decline in the average duration of major energy waste incidents and a 60% reduction in total energy waste per month over the last two years.

Says George Catto, Client Services Director for AMR DNA: “Our experience is that energy waste can often be hiding in plain sight because it would take an army of analysts to pore over thousands of bits of historical data to spot anomalies. Machine learning can do this heavy lifting of data analysis, enabling organisations such as UWTSD to adopt a forensic approach to improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions.”

*Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS) ‘SUSTAINABILITY SKILLS SURVEY 2022-23’