The Southampton Crossings student accommodation property is set amongst city centre parks in the historic port. Residents attend the two local universities. The site comprises 4–6-bedroom flats, and studio apartments.
Julian Medd is the Manager of the building. He joined Host Students, the operators, in 2018 and opened the building in 2020. “With my team, we are responsible for the day-to-day operations and the running of 527 bedrooms. Our guests are predominantly international students, so they are used to warmer climates.
Originally the heaters here had on-board controls, but it didn’t take long for residents to download instructions and change the temperature on them. They like it hot!
We were finding heaters set at 35°C – where they would remain all year. We couldn’t go round checking all the time! Also, secondary heat sources, such as fan heaters were being used.
With electricity costing £40,000 a month on average, our investors looked for ways to reduce this. Prefect Irus was suggested. The retrofit happened in the summer of 2023. Although the building was occupied, the install went brilliantly, we were told a schedule, occupants were informed, so everybody was prepared.”
What is Irus?
The centrally controlled management system prevents unnecessary use of energy. It doesn’t restrict heating; occupants can increase their room temperature whenever they need to, by simply pressing the ‘up’ button. But it does reduce input to the heater if windows are open, the room is empty, or the occupant leaves the room shortly after pressing the boost button.
Every heater is connected to a control unit that communicates with the central hub. Managers monitor each room’s temperature and adjust it to suit individual’s requirements via the internet portal..
“October through to February, after install, we saw average energy bills for the whole building more than halved, one month £50,285 down to £24,497 – that’s 51%!”
Visibility enables targeted action
Interpreting the data from each room provides visibility: of occupancy; supplementary heaters; unusually high humidity; lights on in unoccupied rooms; and, in the event of complaints about anti-social noise, the reported time. This pinpoints the culprit, and appropriate action can be taken.
Julian continues, “At the start it was a challenge, bringing students on-board with setback/boost temperatures of 18°C-23°C, but we kept reviewing it. We were strict about the secondary heaters, because, as well as energy drain, they can be dangerous. We could now see exactly where they were being used and we’ve removed them. By explaining how to dress appropriately for the British climate and suggesting duvets rather than a cotton sheet, residents have acclimatised.”
“Initially the same profile was applied across the board, but to help people wanting it warmer, or if they have an ailment, we’ve boosted individual rooms. The team here find the system easy to operate. The interface is clear to use – fine-tuning the profiles to individuals’ needs is easy. We can see the real value of the energy AND time saved. The alerts bring things to our attention that otherwise would go unnoticed.”
…”even in summer we’re seeing a 25% reduction in costs.”
Winter AND Summer savings
“October through to February, after install, we saw average energy bills for the whole building more than halved, one month £50,285 down to £24,497 – that’s 51%!”
“Obviously energy saving in winter months is the headline, but previously, in the summer, there would be heaters set to 35°C and switching on. We would never have known about them. Now they’re off, so even in summer we’re seeing a 25% reduction in costs. But it’s not just energy saving; seeing occupancy levels, lights that are left on, noise, and humidity data remotely, gives us complete visibility across the whole building.”
Southampton Crossings will see a return on its investment within 2 years and 1 month!
