Amey commits to supporting clients’ net zero journey
3 min read
Optimisation works offsets over 1200t Co2 saving 6% of client’s energy in 2022
Amey’s Secure Infrastructure business is embarking on an exciting optimisation journey that will bring together knowledge and expertise with intelligent data lead solutions to reduce energy consumption and carbon footprint, enhance operational performance, and improve asset productivity for our clients.
This commitment began around 18 months ago with the creation of a dedicated energy team headed up by Amey’s Head of Energy, Lewis Welch, who has over 15 years’ experience in delivering data-led energy projects across many healthcare and education contracts, as well as rolling out a large quantity of LED lighting solutions, solar PV (photovoltaics) systems and heating de-carbonisation programs.
Since then, Amey’s energy capability has been strengthened through the expansion of the energy delivery function via a focused recruitment drive. The current team have experience in defence, construction, ecology, controls, and local authority environments, and are well equipped to provide specialist technical advice and guidance on the monitoring of consumption, waste, and contractual and legal compliance. We’ve also invested in two new Junior Energy Managers using the apprenticeship levy fund, and we’ll be supporting them through a two-year Junior Energy Programme (JEM).
Managing energy consumption for our clients
Our range of capability allows us to provide our clients with intelligent options to reduce their energy consumption with the aim of reducing utility and maintenance costs, improving comfort, safety, and productivity, and helping them to progress towards their own net zero target.
Throughout 2021, we focused on data to identify energy inefficiencies in several of the schools we maintain across the contract to help our clients achieve their savings and efficiency goals. Using our energy bureau services, linked to our BMS management system, a number of deep dive surveys were undertaken which provided insight that enabled site teams and our client to better understand how each individual asset performed in their school.
This data provided a level of visibility that allowed for the creation of detailed improvement plans to help optimise their assets and drive down energy waste. By working with key stakeholders, we’ve developed bespoke strategies that fit with their objectives and vision, mapping out a clear and achievable roadmap to manage energy, carbon reduction and sustainability at a local level.
Across our contracts within the UK and Ireland, we have completed 36 deep dive surveys that identified over 80 optimisation opportunities during 2022. These surveys focused on lighting, heating & ventilation, cooling and temperature control. Using applications within our partners energy bureau systems such as heat maps, we were able to evaluate and develop efficiency changes throughout the sites that ensured comfort conditions matched occupancy levels and that our operational requirements were maintained in the most economical way possible.
Throughout 2022 our optimisation work has driven down our client’s energy consumption by more than 6%, saving over 1200 tons of CO2. That’s enough to power 780 homes in the UK or fill 240 hot air balloons. In monetary terms, it equates to a saving of more than £1.6 million.
Lewis said “This is an exciting time for the energy delivery team as we continue to develop the Amey energy offering along with our sustainable future as a business. By investing in our employees through training and development we can drive behavioural change and empower our people to manage energy consumption at a local level. We are committed to supporting our customers in securing capital funding, this investment will help improve the energy functions of their building and enable them to make more strategic business decisions that will stand the test of time”
