UWL shortlisted for Heat Decarbonisation Project of the Year at the edie Net-Zero Awards
Intro
Efforts to drive improvements around low- and zero-emission heating by the University of West London have been recognised by media brand edie, who have shortlisted the university for Heat Decarbonisation Project of the Year at their Net-Zero Awards.
Article body
edie provides sustainability, energy and environmental professionals with practical information, insight, and intelligence to make their businesses more sustainable.
Through a multi-year and multi-site project, UWL decommissioned 10 antiquated gas boilers and numerous storage heaters, replacing with alternative renewable heat sources as part of its decarbonisation journey. This included the installation of Europe’s largest combined Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) and Solar Photovoltaic Thermal (PVT) system in an education building, as well as spearheading the installation of new Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) solutions.
This has resulted in annual savings of 2,626,480kWh and 529tCO2e, as well as delivering social benefits – £15m Social Return on Investment (SROI) – improved air quality for the local community and learning opportunities for students.
The project was innovative in its demonstration that new technologies can blend with older construction to make retrofit a genuinely sustainable option, without compromising building heritage. Furthermore, the project demonstrates the breadth of solutions that can be implemented to decarbonise heating, despite the constraints of the urban environment.
UWL is committed to becoming a Net Zero institution by 2030,”
said UWL’s Executive Director of Property and Environment Claire Willitts.
A significant proportion of our emissions were associated with heating ageing campus buildings through inefficient natural gas boilers and storage heaters, with this heat then also failing to be retained.
Our heat decarbonisation project sought to retrofit and align our ageing estate with our net zero ambitions, navigating the challenges of refurbishment across a combination of building ages and construction to successfully deliver a custom low-carbon solution.”
The edie Net-Zero Awards will take place on Friday 29 November at Covene, 113 Houndsditch, London.
Related news
-
UWL is a finalist in Green Gown Awards 2024 for local collaboration on sustainable food
The Green Gown Awards recognise the exceptional sustainability initiatives being undertaken by universities and colleges across the world.
-
Grace Hunter joins UWL as Head of Environmental Sustainability
Grace will be leading on the development and implementation of the University’s environmental sustainability strategy, policies and initiatives.
-
UWL’s Sustainability Business Specialist apprenticeship among six given gold-standard royal seal of approval
To celebrate the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III, industry experts recently chose six green apprenticeships – including one from the University of West London - to be marked with the Coronation emblem.
