University of Sussex x Emma AI
Driving carbon reduction, saving water and making better decisions with Emma AI
OVERVIEW
The University of Sussex is a leading research university near Brighton. The university is a diverse place with staff and students from more than 100 countries occupying a large, multiple-use campus site, comprising more than ninety buildings.
Cut in greenhouse
gas emissions
(from 1990 levels)
Of EU energy from
renewables
Improvement in
energy efficiency
They also wanted better visibility of where and when energy and water were being used, so they could target their efforts and make better investment decisions.
THE APPROACH
Optimal Monitoring helped define a metering strategy to provide a high-level campus view, ultimately drilling down to individual buildings and key service functions, such as catering. The result is a view of the whole site, broken down into smaller segments.
Working within strict annual budgets, the strategy was divided into smaller, discrete projects.
The strategy was used to roll out the system over several years. This flexible approach provided the University with maximum short-term value within its budgetary constraints. It also allowed the University to verify performance over a longer period, making some quick wins while justifying and validating longer-term capital projects.
“The introduction of Emma AI has paid for itself in the time and analysis saved.”
– Property Consultant, UoS
Learnings
For the University, there have been several stand-out benefits from having Emma AI installed.
The speed of issue detection means the savings made were very tangible.
The ease and speed with which utility data could be compiled into dashboards for real-time displays, used in presentations for staff and students, was a huge bonus.
The system allows the University to easily report on the total generation of the solar panels and understand what that generation represents.
WHY EMMA AI?
✓
Independent validation – objective analysis using billing data alone
✓
No BMS required – insight without system integration.
✓
Clear visual evidence – patterns that could not be dismissed.
✓
Actionable findings – evidence for challenge and corrective action.
£1.0 MILLION
IN WATER SAVINGS
Soon after installation of the system, a large water leak was detected. The reports accurately identified the scale of the leak—equivalent to two Olympic-sized swimming pools of water being wasted every other day. The leak was repaired, and the savings made since equate to approximately £1 million, paying for the system many times over.
There were also questions about the performance of the solar panels on the site. The data helped to highlight several issues, which were quickly resolved, and the panels have since been performing at their optimum level.
Emma AI - the energy management platform
