CASE STUDY
A UK-wide competition addressing the dual challenges of occupier engagement and energy efficiency improvements in office buildings
Tackling wasted energy through gamification with CUBE
Situation
30% of energy used in commercial buildings is wasted. Even well-designed buildings can be highly inefficient if occupiers, managers and landlords aren’t on the same page. Cooperation between landlords and occupiers on energy efficiency is a challenge, achieving a more
sustainable building can only be done through collaboration and shared goals.
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Some recently built, low-carbon certified buildings show energy use twice above net-zero compatible targets. Reducing energy usage is the first and most effective step towards low-carbon buildings.
SUMMARY
Project highlights
Sector
Impact
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Proven formula and strong track record
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Operating for over 6 years and across 12 countries
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UK first season achievements:
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Average savings of 17% and up to 38%
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Saved £8 million across 30 buildings
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Saved 31 GWh, which is enough to power more than 6,000 UK houses for a year
WHAT WE DID
Approach
CUBE is the UK’s first competition to tackle the dual challenges of energy efficiency improvement and occupier engagement in commercial buildings.
In the inaugural year, the competition featured 30 participating buildings, ranging from grade II listed buildings to iconic skyscrapers like the “Walkie-Talkie” and the “Cheesegrater”. Through gamification, the CUBE competition aimed to rank candidate companies' buildings based on their energy savings for one year.
The competition created an ideal catalyst for engaging occupiers and landlords to compete on energy efficiency improvement based on their building's historic baseline.
FINAL RESULT
Impact
In the first year of the competition, CUBE buildings achieved an average savings of 17%, with the top-performing buildings reaching up to 38% in energy savings. This is equivalent to a total of 31 GWh of energy saved, £8 million savings and over 6,000 tons of CO2e carbon emissions avoided.
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The competition has provided a unique opportunity for green teams and building occupiers to collaborate with tenants around a common goal of energy reduction through gamification. It also supports existing sustainability initiatives by providing guidance on energy savings, which helps participants achieve better scores on building certifications like NABERS, BREEAM, and GRESB.
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