Smart Energy Solutions for Sustainable Student Living

Our brief

A leading student housing provider approached cThings with an exciting challenge to enhance the resident experience across one of their largest student accommodation developments in the heart of Exeter. The development housed over 300 student units, and the provider was committed to delivering top-tier service and support to their residents, while also aligning with their ESG goals.

The company recognised the importance of sustainability and reducing carbon emissions as part of their ESG strategy, and providing transparency around energy usage was a key part of this commitment. By empowering students to track their energy consumption, the provider aimed to promote more responsible energy usage, contributing to both cost savings and environmental impact reduction.

The challenge lay in obtaining accurate, real-time utility data from the onsite meters, a task that had proven difficult. That’s when the provider turned to cThings, a leader in IoT solutions, to find a way to collect and integrate this data into their student app, giving students the transparency they needed while supporting the provider’s broader ESG objectives.

Our solution

With our expertise in IoT and data collection, we conducted a comprehensive review of the student housing provider’s existing metering setup. Although non-smart sub-meters for water and heat had already been installed, there was a gap in electricity sub-metering. By utilising our full range of products, we upgraded the water and heat meters to smart meters and installed wireless gateways, enabling seamless data collection that could be integrated into the provider’s existing student app through our API.

To capture electricity consumption data, we developed a customised solution, installing wireless sub-meters within the consumer units of each student unit. These meters transmitted energy data every 30 minutes to cThings' IoT platform, which students could easily access through the existing app, giving them real-time insight into their energy usage.

In addition to empowering students with greater transparency, this solution also supported the property owner’s ESG objectives by facilitating more sustainable energy practices. Importantly, the data collected through the platform allowed the provider to meet ESG regulatory compliance requirements, ensuring they could easily report on energy consumption and environmental impact as part of their broader sustainability initiatives.

"cThings helped us achieve a 14% energy reduction while meeting our ESG compliance. The real-time data has driven more responsible energy use, saving costs and supporting our sustainability goals."

The results

Following the implementation of cThings' IoT solution, the student housing provider achieved impressive results. With real-time monitoring and data-driven insights, both students and the facilities team were able to take proactive steps to manage energy usage more efficiently. This led to a significant 14% reduction in energy consumption across the development.

Additionally, the system provided the property owner with the data needed for ESG regulatory compliance, enabling them to track and report on their environmental impact accurately. This not only helped lower energy costs but also contributed to the company's long-term sustainability goals.

The benefits

Unlock energy savings

Achieve significant energy reductions through real-time monitoring and efficient management.

Meter and utility agnostic

Connect meters no matter the manufacturer or utility type, unifying data. ESG compliance Streamline data collection, enabling easy reporting meeting ESG regulatory requirements.

Cost reduction

Lower energy bills by cutting unnecessary consumption across your entire estate.

Sustainability

Drive down energy use, supporting the transition to net-zero.

Resident engagement

Provide students with real-time data on their energy usage, promoting more responsible behaviour.

Seamless integration

Easy integration into your existing platform and app.