De Montfort University has launched a new project, Smartspaces, designed to reduce energy, gas and water wastage in public buildings across Leicester city by up to ten per cent. The system will monitor resources use and illustrate the results online.

14 January 2014 – As part of its commitment to research that has an impact on the public good, a new project by De Montfort University (DMU) aims to reduce energy, gas and water wastage in public buildings across the city of Leicester.

The Smartspaces project has the potential to save up to 10 per cent of energy use in 20 Leicester City Council (LCC) buildings – including local schools and leisure centres – back to the buildings’ end users.

Energy, gas and water consumption will be electronically monitored in 20 council buildings as well as five buildings on the DMU campus. This information will then be illustrated via easy-to-understand illustrations on a new website.

Good performance is reflected as a happy, green face. Poor performance is reflected as a sad, red face. Yellow faces represent neutral performance. Building users will then be encouraged to find ways to reduce their energy wastage and get their usage back in the green.

Professor Paul Fleming, chair of the Environmental Experts Groups of the Mayor’s City Partnership and Director of Sustainable Development at DMU, said: “The way that energy and water use is communicated to building users is critical in helping them to make the right decisions to reduce consumption.”

“Through the Smartspaces project we are using our expertise and data to help users of public buildings to save energy and reduce water use. This keeps energy use down in public buildings which reduces costs and carbon dioxide emissions.”

The Smartspaces website will officially launch on 16 January 2014.

For further information, please visit www.smartspaces.dmu.ac.uk