As part of our recent work experience programme, Optimal Monitoring had the opportunity to visit the University of Sussex (UoS), one of our large site customers, to see first-hand how energy, heat and water are managed across a complex estate.
The visit was arranged by the UoS facilities team, who kindly guided us around the campus showing us behind the scenes of a modern university power and heat system.
For Ted, our work experience student, it was a valuable opportunity to move beyond theory and see how sustainability, engineering and energy management come together in a real-world environment. For Duncan Everett , CEO & Jon Slinn, CCO it was a chance to meet a team we often work with remotely and to try and answer the odd one of Ted’s ever more complex questions.
The University of Sussex sits on a 400-acre site, made up of student services, research facilities, lecture halls, innovation spaces and other specialist buildings. Managing energy and utilities across an estate of this scale requires a detailed understanding of how each system works, how buildings are supplied, and how data can support better decisions.
One of the main stops on the visit was the Energy Centre. Here, we saw six industrial gas boilers and a large CHP plant. This system helps generate electricity for the campus, around a 5th of load, alongside solar PV and the incoming electricity supply. It also supports the extensive district heating network, which distributes heat around the site.
We then visited one of the campus buildings to see how the district heat supply is used in practice. The heat is transferred through heat exchangers to provide domestic hot water and heating within each building. Oh course the exchange is monitored by Optimal Monitoring systems
University of Sussex building
Another important part of the visit was seeing large-scale LV panels. These showed how electricity supply is broken down within a building and how different areas can be metered.
These panels are the typical home of Optimal Monitoring sub-metering. Good metering and clear data are essential for understanding where energy is being used and where improvements can be made.
Duncan thinks he has finally found the “widget” he was looking for. Ted is truly amazed.
Another important part of the visit was seeing large-scale LV panels. These showed how electricity supply is broken down within a building and how different areas can be metered.
These panels are the typical home of Optimal Monitoring sub-metering. Good metering and clear data are essential for understanding where energy is being used and where improvements can be made.
The final technical stop was the Pump House, where we saw how incoming water is boosted and distributed across the campus. On a site of this size, even water distribution requires careful planning, infrastructure and monitoring to make sure buildings are supplied reliably.
After the site walk, we met with Hugh Parkinson from the University of Sussex sustainability team. Hugh explained what it is like to work in sustainability across such a large and complex estate, outlining the University’s plans for Net Zero and the challenges involved in delivering long-term change.
He also explained how the sustainability team operates, how decisions are made, and why data plays such an important role in planning. For Ted, this gave a clear insight into the wide range of skills involved in sustainability, from engineering and data analysis to strategy, communication and problem-solving.
The visit was a great reminder that energy management is not just about meters, reports or dashboards. It is about understanding how buildings work, how people use them, and how data can help estates teams make practical, informed decisions.
We would like to thank the SEF facilities team, Hugh Parkinson and the University of Sussex for taking the time to host us and share their knowledge with the next generation as well as a couple of old engineers like Jon and Duncan.
Every day is a school day.
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EMMA AI is a unique Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform that measures energy consumption across your individual sites, pinpointing exactly where money is being wasted and taking proactive measures to reduce the waste – all without having to install a single piece of equipment!