College of West Anglia drives sustainability with data-first energy strategy

The College of West Anglia (CWA), spanning multiple campuses and a diverse mix of buildings, from academic blocks to land-based facilities, has taken major strides toward sustainability and operational efficiency.

Facing mounting energy costs, complex infrastructure, and limited internal capacity, CWA turned to MRI Software to modernise its energy management practices with real-time data, expert support, and actionable insights.

The Challenge: Complex infrastructure, rising costs, and limited visibility
CWA’s property services team, led by Adam Thompsett, was under pressure to reduce energy use and improve estate-wide oversight amid growing cost and sustainability demands:

• Limited visibility into energy use: While Building Management Systems (BMS) were in place, accessing and interpreting data was time-consuming and required specialist knowledge.
• High energy consumption: Benchmarking revealed that CWA’s energy usage was disproportionately high compared to peer institutions, particularly at its smallest campus.
• Fragmented systems: The college’s estate included a mix of legacy and modern systems, from biomass boilers, gas-fired heat pumps, and varied metering setups, making unified energy oversight difficult.
• Resource constraints: With limited internal capacity, the college needed external expertise to maintain momentum on sustainability initiatives.

The Solution: Centralised data, expert support, and strategic insight
To address these challenges, CWA partnered with MRI Software to implement MRI Energy which provided a much more integrated and proactive approach to energy management:

• Unified data platform: The college undertook a significant internal project to network all BMS systems and ensure data points were correctly configured.
• Managed Services support: MRI’s Managed Services team will provide expert support and ongoing technical oversight, with a time saving of one to two days of internal staff time per week estimated.
• Actionable dashboards and insights: MRI Energy’s dashboards offered real-time visibility into energy usage, helping identify inefficiencies and opportunities for savings.
• Strategic decision-making: For the first time, energy data has enabled the college to begin evaluating the true cost of course delivery, factoring in energy consumption to inform future planning.

MRI Energy has allowed us to make energy data part of the everyday conversation, not just within estates, but across academic and strategic leadership. We’re no longer guessing where the inefficiencies are.

– Adam Thompsett, Property Services Manager, College of West Anglia

The Results: Efficiency gains, cultural change, and data-driven strategy
CWA is seeing strong early outcomes from its implementation of MRI Energy:

• Operational efficiency: The Managed Services model will significantly reduced the burden on internal teams, allowing staff to focus on core responsibilities while maintaining energy oversight.
• Data-driven decision making: Energy data is now a key factor in assessing course viability and shaping building usage strategies, bringing sustainability into core planning.
• Cost avoidance and future savings: While major savings are still emerging, the college is on the cusp of implementing changes that will reduce energy consumption and associated costs.
• Cultural shift: Sustainability has moved from a peripheral concern to a central strategic focus, with energy data empowering both operational teams and academic leadership to drive change.

The College of West Anglia demonstrates how energy data, when combined with expert support, can spark real cultural change. The team at CWA has used MRI Energy not just for reporting, but as a driver for smart decision-making.

– Tim Pont, Account Manager, MRI Software