Manchester University, the largest single site university in Britain builds on its heritage of innovation and forward thinking by providing energy efficient facilities for its 12,000 staff and 30,000 students.

Founded in 1824, the University has seen countless developments and can lay claim to more than 23 Nobel Prize winners amongst its current and former staff and students.  From starting the computer revolution in 1948, to installing LED lighting within the corridors of the Kilburn Computer Building, the institution has never been afraid to drive change and innovation.

With 300 buildings over 299 acres, with 50 miles of corridors, Damian Oatway, Energy Engineer, analysed the energy consumption within the University and saw an estimated 55% of that energy was consumed by lighting.  With a target of a 5% reduction year-on-year in carbon savings, lighting was the obvious place to start, with the installation of Honeywell LED Utility Lighting in the place of existing T12 Fluorescent luminaires.

‘The removal of 120W T12 fluorescent luminaires, and the subsequent installation of Honeywell LED Utility Lighting Battens has resulted in a load reduction of 70%.  Over the course of the year, this gives us a saving of approximately 20,000 kWh, which is equivalent to about 8.6 tonnes of Carbon.  The process was simple, our own team of engineers were able to undertake the work, simply isolating the corridor, removing the old fittings from the existing housings, and then replacing with the new LED fittings.  If we can see these results with a test installation in corridors in just one building, just think what we can achieve across the whole site,’ said Damian.

As Energy Engineer, with the responsibility for the specification of energy efficient and energy saving products, Damian Oatway holds a substantial budget, some of which has been funded by a grant issued by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and Salix, as part of the initiative to reduce greenhouse gases within education establishments.  To further demonstrate the commitment of the University to their 5% y-o-y carbon reduction target, two new appointments of Carbon Reduction Technicians were created.  Together the team are actively identifying further opportunities for Honeywell LED Utility Lighting, with the next project to install the IP Rated Luminaires in the corridors around the main boiler plant on the site.