UWE and Prefect Controls’ collaborative win at the Energy Saving Awards 2023

Prefect Controls Ltd and UWE have announced their collaborative project at the Frenchay Campus in Bristol, being awarded ‘Education Sector Project of the Year’ at the Energy Saving Awards 2023.

The project comprises more than 2,000 rooms controlled by the Irus Building Energy Management System (BeMS), generating savings of 800,000+kWh annually.

HobSensus, the latest phase in the project, is a kitchen safety device monitoring hobs by automatically switching them off when left unattended or when temperatures on cooking surfaces exceed safety levels. Incorporating the Irus system permits managers to view energy consumption remotely on a dedicated portal, along with a depleted battery alert and repeat alarm triggers.

Kirsti Norris, Energy Manager at UWE, expresses her satisfaction with the service provided by Prefect and states, “I am delighted that Prefect Controls have received recognition of their fantastic product and customer service. The Irus system has made UWE significant energy, money, and carbon savings. It has also improved the comfort of our students and the service we give through improved controllability of the accommodation heating systems. The Prefect Controls teams are a pleasure to work with and well-worthy of this award.”

In his award speech, Adrian Barber, Marketing Manager at Prefect Controls, states, “This has been a tremendous year for Irus. We have added more rooms to the portal than ever, bringing the total close to 55,000.” He continues, ”Recognition of the real-world benefits of Irus for student accommodation will hopefully help to spread the word that net zero targets and carbon reduction are easier to achieve, along with significant cost savings, when Irus is part of the strategy”.

The Energy Saving Awards, organised by Datateam Business Media, celebrates professionals, projects, and products across the energy management sectors.