The Judd School poised to save energy and money with HeatingSave
The Judd School is a Voluntary Aided Grammar School for boys, with a number of girls in the sixth form, situated in Tonbridge, Kent and supported by The Skinners’ Company. It hosts 150 members of staff and around 1100 pupils.
The core of the school is the School Room – an inspiring 1896 hall which is used for assemblies, concerts and theatrical performances. In recent times, a further five substantial buildings have been added to the site, providing spacious and dedicated facilities for a variety of subjects. The old buildings have also been refurbished in order to provide the necessary space for various curriculum areas.
As with many schools, the rising cost of energy prompted the Governing body to start looking for a solution that would help reduce this significant financial overhead.
“Our primary goal was to cut energy bills and save money” said Allan Stanley who is their Estates & Facilities Manager, “But we also wanted a web-friendly solution that would make the entire heating system easier to control from a single location, rather than moving about between various boiler rooms” he added.
The Judd School contacted HeatingSave after receiving a very positive reference regarding the system’s impressive energy-saving capabilities from another local school. Allan recalls: “At the time, we were talking to another school in Tonbridge who had a HeatingSave system up and running. Based on their very good experience, we’ve decided to have it installed here as well.”
Following a thorough site review by a HeatingSave Consultant, The Judd School opted for a HeatingSave Building Energy Management System (BEMS) to control 9 of the gas-fired boilers at the school (with more to be added in the future).
HeatingSave was successfully installed and commissioned in April 2014 and Mr Stanley was trained on how to use the system. ”Very good and informative” is how Allan described his introductory experience to HeatingSave.
The Judd School Estates & Facilities Manager is conservative in the savings made so far by saying “The system was only just installed this spring. Due to the mild weather, we haven’t been in a position to use the HeatingSave system at its full potential just yet. However, we’re confident that we will do so this winter.”
One of key money-saving features in HeatingSave’s arsenal is the capability to vary a room temperature set point automatically depending on outside weather conditions. Further savings are attained by applying adaptive outside temperature compensation using one of 12 different compensation curves, which reduces the risk of the building overheating and slashes gas consumption.
Beside helping schools and academies drastically reduce their energy usage, HeatingSave also provides key users with a powerful set of easily accessible control and reporting tools for their heating, hot water and energy consumption. In fact, it’s a great “teaching aid” to explain the relationship between heating, energy consumption and carbon footprints as the system automatically calculates the amount of CO2 used. We asked Allan what he liked most about HeatingSave? He responded immediately (and enthusiastically) “It’s ideal for caretakers and estate managers. It allows me to control heating across the whole school without leaving the office.”
Allan also told the HeatingSave reporter that the Judd School makes full use of HeatingSave’s diary feature. The rolling diary knows about weekends and holidays or changes in a daily routine, making it an ideal solution for the educational sector. HeatingSave will warm up the building just in time for when teachers start their classes in the morning, saving a big proportion from bills by itself.
Allan Stanley says that the system is user-friendly and its likely to become even easier to use over time. In his own words, “ The more we learn about it and use it on a daily basis, the easier it gets.”
The Judd School contacted the HeatingSave HelpDesk on couple of occasions and were happy with the level of support they were given.
A faulty component prompted a visit from the HeatingSave Operations department. Allan couldn’t be happier with the quality of their work: “The problem was fixed fast and in a very professional manner. The engineer was very knowledgeable and tidy. He finished the work and got the system running in no time”.
Mr. Stanley was keen to express his satisfaction with the general level of service from HeatingSave. He commented, “HeatingSave has worked very well for us – I really don’t see where you could have done better”.
Would the Judd School recommend HeatingSave to other schools or academies? “Yes we would” was Allan’s answer, and when asked to sum up HeatingSave in a few words he concluded, ”It’s an efficient system that delivers enhanced control and helps us save energy and money.”
UPDATE – 2019
In 2015, the Judd School embarked on a very ambitious improvement programme worth an estimated £2.5m, which included the development of a new dining hall, kitchen accommodation and science laboratories.
Although the architects initially specified a different BMS system for the new three-storey building, Judd school representatives were so happy with their existing HeatingSave system that they’ve insisted on extending it to the new facilities as well.
The HeatingSave BMS system now controls not only both underfloor and radiator heating at the Judd School’s new building, but also the ventilation system. The School also makes very good use of HeatingSave’s energy and environmental monitoring capabilities, as it constantly measures and monitors CO2 levels and possible gas or water leaks using our specialized array of sensors.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Customer Information
The Judd School,
Brook Street, Tonbridge, Kent,
TN9 2PN
Phone: 01732 770880
Fax: 01732 771661
Email: enquiries@judd.kent.sch.uk
Web: http://judd.kent.sch.uk/