Unite Students is a UK-based student housing provider with over 150 buildings across 28 cities housing 50,000 students. The document outlines Unite Students' energy and environment strategy to reduce their environmental impact and encourage sustainable behavior among students, employees, and suppliers. The strategy includes enabling sustainable behavior through engagement initiatives and creating sustainable buildings by improving energy and water efficiency in existing properties, new developments, and acquired buildings. Recent projects under the strategy include completing an LED lighting upgrade, optimizing heating controls to save energy, and implementing various building improvements. The team aims to continue exploring additional energy and carbon reduction opportunities through technologies like heat pumps, renewable energy installations, and smart energy management systems.

1. 17 November 2016
Unite Students Energy
Strategy: its Up to uS…

2. James Tiernan, Group Energy & Environment Manager
• Home for Success – who we are
• Up to uS – our responsible business strategy
• Our Energy & Environment Strategy
Lauren Rowe, Sustainable Behaviour Manager
• Sustainable Behaviour
Gareth Chaplin, E&E Technical Solutions Manager
• Sustainable Buildings
• Building Water & Energy Efficiency Programme
Overview

3. • Bristol based, 25 years
• FTSE 250 listed
• 50,000 students
• 150 buildings
• 28 cities
• Home for Success
About uS…

4. The Environment
4
• Responsible sourcing
of materials and
products
• Reducing
construction,
operation and
maintenance waste
• Responsible waste
management &
recycling
• Embodied impacts
(energy, carbon,
water) of materials
and products
Resource use & Waste
• Science based carbon
reduction
• Improving building
energy efficiency
• Responsible energy
consumption
• Decarbonising our
energy supply
• Reducing travel &
transport emissions
• Effectively monitoring
and reporting
performance
• Supply chain emissions
Energy & Carbon
• Improving water
efficiency in buildings
• Responsible water use
• Effectively monitoring
and reporting
performance
• Reducing leaks and
wastage
Water
The Environment
Reduce our environmental impact, and encourage responsible behaviour
in our students, employees and suppliers.

5. Energy & Environment Strategy
5
Unite Students Up to uS Environmental Strategy
Reduce our environmental impact, and encourage responsible
behaviour in our students , employees and suppliers.
ENABLING & ENCOURAGING
SUSTAINABLE BEHAVIOUR:
Employees
Customers
Supply chain
CREATING
SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS:
Existing estate
New builds
Buildings we buy
SUSTAINABLE BEHAVIOUR:
Engage staff, residents & alumni,
enabling & encouraging lasting
SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS:
Improve fabric & services to reduce
energy, water & carbon, facilitate
MANAGEMENT:
Effective systems, policy & targets, stakeholder engagement, clear reporting
OBJECTIVESACTIVITY
REDUCING OUR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS:
ENERGY & CARBON WATER RESOURCE USE & WASTE
IMPACTS
· Home for Success: environmental & financial sustainability
· Managing risks, developing opportunities, & building resilience
· Stakeholder expectations
· Compliance & planning requirements
· Performance reporting
· Creating legacy of responsible & sustainable behaviour
· Leadership & innovation in sector – market differentiation
· Do the right thing
BENEFITS&DRIVERS
Reduce our environmental impact, and encourage responsible
behaviour in our students , employees and suppliers.
ENABLING & ENCOURAGING
SUSTAINABLE BEHAVIOUR:
Employees
Customers
Supply chain
CREATING
SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS:
Existing estate
New builds
Buildings we buy
SUSTAINABLE BEHAVIOUR:
Engage staff, residents & alumni,
enabling & encouraging lasting
responsible living habits.
SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS:
Improve fabric & services to reduce
energy, water & carbon, facilitate
responsible living
MANAGEMENT:
Effective systems, policy & targets, stakeholder engagement, clear reporting
OBJECTIVESACTIVITY
REDUCING OUR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS:
ENERGY & CARBON WATER RESOURCE USE & WASTE
IMPACTS · Home for Success: environmental & financial sustainability
· Managing risks, developing opportunities, & building resilience
· Stakeholder expectations
· Compliance & planning requirements
· Performance reporting
· Creating legacy of responsible & sustainable behaviour
· Leadership & innovation in sector – market differentiation
· Do the right thing
BENEFITS&DRIVERS

6. Energy & Environment Team
6
Energy & Environment Team
LED Project Team
James Tiernan
Group Energy &
Environment Manager
Lauren Rowe
Sustainability Engagement
Supervisor
City Sustainability
Champions
Gareth Chapin
Technical Solutions
Manager
Mark Taylor
Regional Energy &
Environment Manager
(South)
Chris Morris
Waste & Recycling
Coordinator
Amaad Ahmed
Regional Energy &
Environment Manager
(North)
Barry Edwards
Project Manager
Sophie Peters
Sustainable Engagement
Coordinator
Project Administrator
(fixed term)
Project Supervisor
(fixed term)
Project Supervisor
(fixed term)
Steve Batley
Estates Director
Efficiency Manager
Efficiency Manager

7. Sustainable Behaviour
7

8. The opportunity

9. The challenge
9

10. Our action plan
1010
NATIONAL LOCAL INDIVIDUAL

11. The results
11

12. Whats next?
12

13. Sustainable Buildings

14. Survey sites
Identify
opportunities &
solutions,
create
individual plans
Build
overarching
plan & budget
Prioritise,
finance, &
implement
Building Water & Energy Efficiency Programme
14
2016 2017 2018

15. Energy & carbon in our buildings
15
Actual energy use:
c.20-35%
c.20-25%
c.15-30%
c.20-35%
c.5-10%
Other factors & influences:
£€$

16. Energy & carbon opportunities
16
• LED programme
• Electric heater selection, electric heating controls, wet heating controls,
boiler upgrade/replacement
• Up to uS engagement campaign including Green Impact
• Electric hot water cylinder controls, heat pumps,
• Landlord building services, PPM and lifecycle
• Energy management systems and metering
• Turnkey spec and improving new developments, BREEAM
• Building fabric spec and condition improvements (glazing, cladding etc)
• Demand side response, battery storage
• Grid supplied renewable energy
• On site renewable energy generation (PV, biomass)

17. Energy & carbon opportunities
17
• LED programme
• Electric heater selection, electric heating controls, wet heating controls,
boiler upgrade/replacement
• Up to uS engagement campaign including Green Impact
• Electric hot water cylinder controls, heat pumps,
• Landlord building services, PPM and lifecycle
• Energy management systems and metering
• Turnkey spec and improving new developments, BREEAM
• Building fabric spec and condition improvements (glazing, cladding etc)
• Demand side response, battery storage
• Grid supplied renewable energy
• On site renewable energy generation (PV, biomass)
Completing in 2017, over delivering on
business case projections of energy saving
Optimisation of Prefect Controls in 2015
saving 6.5% of student energy use in 52 sites
2016: 18 Bronze, 3 Silver
& 2 Gold awards. 146
student volunteers
trained & involved
Highest ever AMR coverage
on energy & water meters
Our first PV retrofit, and a biomass
restart programme planned

18. Energy & carbon opportunities
18
• LED programme
• Electric heater selection, electric heating controls, wet heating controls,
boiler upgrade/replacement
• Up to uS engagement campaign including Green Impact
• Electric hot water cylinder controls, heat pumps,
• Landlord building services, PPM and lifecycle
• Energy management systems and metering
• Turnkey spec and improving new developments, BREEAM
• Building fabric spec and condition improvements (glazing, cladding etc)
• Demand side response, battery storage
• Grid supplied renewable energy
• On site renewable energy generation (PV, biomass)
IR heating progressed from trials to planned
pilot installation
Smart wireless digital networked controls
system being piloted
Smart wireless digital networked controls
system being piloted
DSM and onsite battery storage trial
underway
ASHP pilot installation underway
Investigating grid supplied
renewables

19. Developing solutions
19
SOLUTION
HIERARCHY:
Replace
with or add
new technology
New-for-old
upgrade or
replacement
Optimise existing
equipment
Good housekeeping
SOLUTION PIPELINE:

20. SUMMARY
20
Student
experience
Energy
efficiency

21. Questions
21