Reducing energy, materials use and waste

Business Services Agency operates a shared office and business space in the old Glossop Gasworks building.

Why did they engage with DE-Carbonise

The building had been recently restored, but heating costs were still high and there was poor flexibility around heating for different users.

What has been the impact of working with DE-Carbonise?

A DE-Carbonise carbon reduction visit recommended improvements to heating, secondary glazing, lighting and installation of electric vehicle charging points. The Genius Hub allows individual tenants to control the temperature in their office through a stylish, easy to use room thermostat while the building manager controls the overall settings. Each radiator has had a new wireless thermostat fitted; some of the older radiators required a replacement valve head, a simple fix for Glossop Gasworks.  

To get the wireless signal through the building, a couple of wired extenders were fitted into the electrical trunking. This created a solid ‘mesh’ wireless network and gave a good signal strength between the thermostats, valves, and the main controller.  

“Range and connectivity were a major concern for us” explains Duncan. “Being an old building with thick walls means that wireless range can be limited. As the system works on a flexible z-wave mesh network, we have been able to set it up to reliably cover the whole building.”  

In the meeting room heating only comes on if the room is used thanks to an occupancy sensor. With the help of DE-Carbonise, two old gas boilers were also replaced with new condensing boilers, removing the need to use several poorly controlled electric heaters.

The controls added about 10% to the total cost and are expected to save an additional 25% in gas use through improved monitoring and control. The heating can now be controlled without visiting the building (i.e., if a room booking is cancelled at short notice).

Next Steps

Continue to replace old-style lighting with LED as it fails. Install electric vehicle charging points and secondary glazing or solar film for some windows.

Quote from the Client

Duncan was pleased about the work. 

“It was not too technical – just a case of linking all the various parts of the system through the app. These systems should be used a lot more and it should be much easier to find installers who are aware of the technology and who promote it to customers so that it becomes more normal.”  

The actions are forecast to save 3.4 tonnes of carbon per year and will give the company a well-controlled and efficient working environment.

Data

About DE-Carbonise

DE-Carbonise is a three year collaboration between the University of Derby, Derby City Council and Derbyshire County Council, which started in November 2019. The collaboration is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and follows on from the successful D2 Energy Efficiency/Low Carbon project.

Logo's for European Union Regional Development Fun, Derby City Council, Derbyshire County Council and Midlands Engine.

Get in contact with us

To find out about current support available for your business in reducing your environmental impact, or your journey to net-zero. Please get in contact with our business gateway team.

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