University of Birmingham Saves £450k a Year with IoT Smart Lighting

University Case Study: IoT Lighting & Space Optimisation

The University of Birmingham has reduced its annual electricity consumption by more than 1.5 million kWh – equivalent to saving £450,000 and 300 tonnes of CO₂ emissions every year – thanks to an intelligent LED and IoT smart lighting upgrade delivered by CILS.

Specialty installation highlights included:

• Custom engineering externally mounted sensor housing for conduit;
• Carefully retro fitting listed luminaires to retain the original appearance;
• Taking extra cautions to avoid contamination – a spec of dust could wreck an experiment that would take months to recalibrate or cost millions;
• Taking extra care to maintain the aesthetics and find creative ways around building fabric limitations.
  

CILS was appointed by Siemens to survey, design, install, and commission an integrated LED and Internet of Things (IoT) control solution across 10 buildings:

• North East Car Park
• Physics West Building
• Physics East Building
• Engineering Building
• Institute of Biomedical Research
• Medical Extension Building
• Poynting Physics Building
• University House
• University House New Extension

A smart LED upgrade starts with an investment-grade audit (IGA):

• Investment-grade lighting survey – We recorded over a dozen data points for each existing light fitting and conducted LiDAR scans of the buildings.
• RIBA Stage 4 lighting designs - Our in-house designer produced detailed, custom lighting plans.
• Phased installation scheduling - We planned works around lectures, experiments and industry conferences to avoid unplanned downtime. A dedicated site project manager liaised closely with each building coordinator and staff.
• Commissioning & tuning - Using a lux meter, our Commissioning Engineers fine-tuned each sensor-enabled luminaire to meet CIBSE and client light-level requirements.
• As-installed CAD drawings - Our design team produced “as installed” CAD documentation for both LED upgrades and controls-only retrofits.
• Completion & handover - We provided full completion and handover documentation to Siemens and the client.
• IoT training - CILS trained university facilities staff on the IoT user interface.
• Warranty & support - We offered a five-year full warranty, with options to extend support thereafter.

Katie Tyler, Buildings Coordinator and First Aid Coordinator for the School of Engineering, shared:

“The building occupants have expressed to me how happy they are with how the engineers who Tom and Paul brought in worked, they were all professional and communicated to occupants and myself what the programme was”.

CILC can help you reduce energy costs across your University Estate.

If your University is looking to:

✅ Cut lighting energy use by up to 90%

✅ Reduce operational costs while improving energy efficiency

✅ Build a smart campus with future-proof technology

Contact CILS today. Our smart lighting solutions are tailored to your University estate and budget needs, and align with your sustainability goals.

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