This winter everyone’s attention has been turned to the cost of living and particularly their use of energy. There is one sector though where, while there is still concern, their consumption does not directly affect their wallets!
Students living in accommodation where heating is included in their monthly rent can turn the heat up without any worries. Unfortunately, worries are passed on to the room providers and specifically Energy and Accommodation Managers.
Prefect Controls have been designing and manufacturing control systems specifically for this eventuality since 1997 and know a thing or two about student behaviour. Its products maintain comfortable room temperatures but are always striving to reduce heat input and therefore save energy.
When the occupant leaves the room - the heat is turned down, if windows or doors are opened - the heat is turned down, when a room is empty for a longer period – the heater is switched to minimum input to avoid damp or frost damage. With Prefect’s local control, ecostat2, savings are typically 25-30%.
Using Prefect’s central control, Irus, much greater savings can be made - up to 40%!
Irus doesn’t only control room temperature. Via the internet portal, water heating, environmental conditions, and faulty equipment can be monitored without having to enter a single room.
Irus collates and provides data for room temperature, humidity, light, sound pressure and CO2, in individual rooms. This helps maintain spaces conducive to study by ensuring safe and productive environmental conditions. If unusual circumstances occur, Irus alerts the appropriate teams – energy, accommodation, welfare etc. - via text or email.
When an Irus SMART tank is installed, the monitoring of the tank temperature is so accurate that wasted energy, in terms of over-heating is removed. Volume of water used, temperature at inlet, outlet and across the system are all measured to ensure most efficient energy use. The temperature log can be used to provide evidence that water safety plans, designed to reduce the risk of legionella in the system, have been adhered to.
Maintenance teams will be alerted if there are leaking pipes in the system and if equipment such as elements in a hot water tank are faulty.
Prefect Control’s Irus, is the only building energy management system designed specifically for student accommodation, and the only one that provides pinpoint, accurate control to individual rooms.
