Unilife
Bargate House
Case Study
How Totem Reduced Electric Heating Costs by 73.2% at Unilife
Overview
Purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) operators face a constant challenge: keeping residents comfortable while controlling rising energy costs.
At Unilife’s Bargate House property in Southampton, traditional electric wall heaters were driving high electricity consumption and unnecessary waste. With all-inclusive rent packages, heating systems were often left running even when rooms were unoccupied.
To address this challenge, Unilife implemented the Totem intelligent heating control system across a pilot programme at the 122-room property.
The results were dramatic: average electric heating consumption fell by 73.2%, while maintaining a comfortable environment for residents.
The Challenge - Balancing Comfort and Energy Costs
For PBSA operators, student comfort is essential. However, traditional heating systems provide very little control over energy usage.
At Bargate House, Unilife faced several challenges:
Electric wall heaters relied on basic internal thermostats
Heating was frequently left running in empty rooms
Energy costs were rising significantly
The system could not adapt to changing occupancy patterns
Students left the heaters on permanently day and night
Monitoring revealed heating costs could reach up to £5 per day in colder weather for individual rooms.
This created an ongoing dilemma: maintain comfort for residents or attempt to control energy costs.
The Solution - Intelligent Heating Control with Totem
Unilife implemented the Totem intelligent IoT heating control platform, designed specifically for retrofit projects in residential buildings.
At the core of the system is the Totem smart meter, a compact device installed behind the existing heating spur. This instantly converts standard electric heaters into connected, intelligent heating systems.
Key features include:
Centralised Energy Management
Operators gain access to a central dashboard that provides real-time visibility of heating usage and room temperatures across the building.
This allows building managers to:
Monitor energy consumption
Adjust heating schedules
Respond quickly to seasonal changes
Improve overall operational efficiency
On-Demand Heating for Residents
Residents remain in control of their comfort through a simple wall-mounted boost button.
If a room becomes cold unexpectedly, residents can activate a two-hour heating boost, ensuring comfort without leaving heaters running continuously.
Intelligent Heating Schedules
Heating schedules automatically align with typical student routines, ensuring rooms are warm:
in the morning
when residents return from lectures
during colder periods
This eliminates unnecessary heating during vacant periods.
Frost Protection
When rooms are unoccupied for longer periods, the system maintains a minimal background temperature to prevent excessive cooling while still reducing energy usage.
ESG Reporting and Energy Insights
The Totem platform measures both electricity consumption (kWh) and room temperature, generating detailed data for each room.
This enables operators to track:
energy savings
operating costs
carbon reductions
ESG performance metrics
Real life example is:https://totem-commisioning-lo-ra-added-missing-door-sensor-wor-trevor65.replit.app/api/public/energy-savings/widget/group/21
The Results - Significant Energy Savings and Fast ROI
The two-phase pilot programme provided clear evidence of the system’s effectiveness.
Key outcomes included:
73.2% average reduction in electric heating usage
Projected carbon reduction of around 50 tonnes of CO₂ per year
Return on investment in under two years
These savings were achieved without compromising resident comfort or satisfaction.
Client Feedback
“These results speak for themselves, achieving a 73.2% reduction in electric heating use without compromising our students’ comfort or experience is a significant achievement.
The Totem system has given us the control we needed, cutting unnecessary energy waste while maintaining warm, welcoming spaces for our residents.
The added benefit of reducing our carbon footprint by approximately 50 tonnes of CO₂ each year, with a payback period of under two years, makes this a win for both our residents and the environment.
Richard Powell
Chief Operating Officer
Unilife
Why It Matters for PBSA Operator
Purpose-built student accommodation often includes all-inclusive utility costs, which can lead to significant energy waste.
Solutions like Totem help operators:
Reduce energy consumption
Lower operating costs
Improve ESG performance
Maintain resident comfort
Gain real-time control over heating systems
Interested in Achieving Similar Results?
If you operate student accommodation and want to reduce heating costs while improving energy efficiency, the Totem intelligent heating control platform can deliver measurable results.
Contact us today to learn how much energy your portfolio could save.