The heating is turned off during the summer and put back on in mid-October, depending on the weather. The rule of thumb is that if the average outside temperature, during working hours, is above 17⁰C the heating will be turned off automatically to prevent overheating via the Building Management System (BMS).

Please note that in the winter we will heat the rooms to 20⁰C degrees (+/- 1⁰C) and in the summer we will cool the rooms, where the facilities exist, at 24⁰C degrees (+/- 1⁰C), this provides for an optimum comfort vs. environmental benefit. This is in accordance with the LSE school policy, health and safety requirements* and environmental recommendations**. Therefore, we cannot accommodate personal preferences that fall outside the above parameters.

Please note that we do not supply stand-alone electrical heaters as a matter of course, as they do not comply with our environmental initiatives. The use of additional electrical heaters also overloads the circuits and causes electrical faults and in some cases will switch on cooling systems. However, should there be a fault with the central heating we will supply electrical heaters as a temporary measure if the temperature falls below the minimum requirement.

*According to H&S guidance the minimum temperature in the room should not be lower than 16⁰C degrees

**There is no statutory maximum temperature; although under the Fuel and Electricity (Heating) (Control) (Amendment) Order 1980 premises may not specifically use energy to create a temperature greater than 19°C.

A 1 degree increase in temperature set point results in a 8-10% increase in energy consumption, similarly a 1 degree reduction in cooling results in a 4-5% increase in energy usage. A good heating/cooling strategy can result in a 30% reduction in energy costs.

Building Management System (BMS)

A Building Management System (BMS) is a computer-based control system installed in buildings that controls and monitors the building's main mechanical plant e.g. boilers, ventilation, air conditioning etc. to maintain optimum comfort conditions.

A BMS is most common in a large building. Its core function is to manage the environment within the building and may control temperature and carbon dioxide levels within a building. As a core function in most BMS systems, it controls heating and cooling, manages the systems that distribute this air throughout the building (for example by operating fans or opening/closing dampers), and then locally controls the mixture of heating and cooling to achieve the desired room temperature. A secondary function sometimes is to monitor the level of human-generated CO2, mixing in outside air with waste air to increase the amount of oxygen while also minimising heat/cooling losses.

Where we use BMS

We currently have three BMS systems:

Trend – LRB, 32 LIF – installed under the design and build contract,
Johnsons – Towers – it came with the building when LSE purchased it and is currently being upgraded,
Tridium – Rest of campus (except leased buildings: Queens House, Sardinia House, Aldwych House and 50 LIF)

Initially installed in the NAB and High Holborn
It was working well
A continuity measure; it was decided to expand this latest generation of BMS

How we use BMS

Our team of 3 dedicated BMS technicians monitor and adjust the BMS controlling all the heating & ventilation plant in most of the buildings and it also determines the operating times of these plants. Many of the savings have been achieved simply by ensuring the essential daily plant run time, out of term time & the School holiday period closure time and also by setting to right parameters, set points on the BMS & keeping a check on these settings on a regular basis.

There is BMS system of varying complexity installed at the following halls of residence:-

Passfield Halls
Carr Saunders
Roseberry Hall
High Holborn
Grosvenor House
Northumberland House
Butlers Wharf

Benefits of BMS

An effective BMS will:

Help to reduce carbon emissions,
Improve the environment for the occupants
Allow to monitor and collect building performance data for analysis
Improve efficiency as plant will operate less frequently, increasing its useful life, reducing equipment failures and minimising the need for maintenance.

BMS

Typical air handling unit which supplies heat and cooling to a floor.