Vodafone makes energy savings worth £10m

Vodafone has saved 100 gigawatt hours (GWh) of energy in three years, representing a financial saving of around £10m and enough electricity to power a town with a population of 65,000 people for a year.

Validated by a third-part auditor, the savings were achieved by optimising heating and cooling systems in offices, and managing air flow to keep technical sites cool in the most energy efficient way.

Vodafone has also pledged to power its network using 100% renewable electricity by July 2021 and to help its customers save 350 million tonnes of CO2 by 2030 through its connectivity and Internet of Things (IoT) technology.

“We've achieved these staggering savings by doing the basics well and making energy reduction something we think about each and every day,“ said Scott Petty, chief technology officer, Vodafone UK.

“Combined with our commitment to power our network with 100% renewable electricity by 2021 – and helping our customers reduce their own carbon footprints with our connectivity and Internet of Things technology – this will ensure we are helping to build a more sustainable future.“

The audits checked that a building's lighting, heating and air conditioning systems were operating at the highest energy efficiency rating. At more complex locations, such as data centres and MTX sites, where 24/7 power is essential to keep the network running, sensors providing real-time data were used to identify energy saving opportunities.

For example, temperature sensors in data centres enabled the airflow to be automatically adjusted up or down remotely, ensuring the correct environment for this critical equipment in the most energy efficient way.

In offices and call centres, sensors in air conditioning systems enabled 'dynamic controls' so the air temperature could be managed remotely and at speed dependent on weather and conditions.