A Newcastle student accommodation block has become the first site in the UK to run every module of the Irus ecoSystem. The result is a building that reports on its own energy, water and safety performance, and acts on waste the moment it appears.
Every energy manager knows the problem. Waste is rarely obvious – a heater runs in an empty room., a tundish drips heated water down the drain, a tap is left running, a shower goes on too long, a hob is left on, etc. Each one is small. Together they add up to higher bills, more carbon and, sometimes, genuine risk.
For student accommodation operators, the pressure is on. Energy costs are high, sustainability targets are tightening, and the duty of care to residents goes beyond keeping rooms warm. Operators need to know what’s happening in their buildings, and they need to act on it quickly.
Resolving these issues has culminated in Camden Court.
A ten-year partnership
Camden Court is an on-campus building in Newcastle upon Tyne, operated by Unite Students in partnership with Northumbria University. It is home to more than 350 students, in en-suite rooms and self-contained studios.
It’s also the latest demonstration of a ten-year partnership between Unite Students and Prefect Controls. The collaboration has helped develop the Irus ecoSystem. Unite Students provided live buildings to test new modules, led deployment across its estate and gathered resident feedback. Prefect led technology development, system design and integration.
Across Unite Students’ wider estate of around 100 sites and 40,000 rooms, Irus saved 18.2 million kWh and more than 4,500 tonnes of carbon last year alone.
“Together we’ve created something that’s delivering measurable value across our estate, helping us to significantly reduce our energy consumption and carbon emissions while supporting resident comfort,” says Ian Bamforth, Head of Estates at Unite Students. “It has given us far greater visibility of building performance, helping us to deliver more consistent room temperatures, faster fault resolution and healthier living environments for students.”
One building, one connected system
Camden Court is the first site in the UK to have every Irus module installed. The work covered 345 rooms and took seven weeks.
Heating comes first. SpaceHeat delivers heat to each room, but only when it’s needed, also tracking temperature, humidity, occupancy and energy use. Residents have individual control through ControlSensor, and operators keep oversight from a single portal.
Hot water is next. SmartTank controls water heating and measures use, temperature, and waste, catching avoidable losses such as tundish flow.
Water monitoring runs right down to the outlet. Sensors on taps and toilets pick up continuous flow and track water temperature to support Legionella management. ShowerSense shows residents how their use compares with their neighbours’. Humidity sensors flag the conditions that lead to damp and mould before they take hold.
Flat-level metering makes unusually high use visible straight away. While HobSensus, fitted to all electric hobs, cuts power automatically if a hob is left unattended and becomes dangerously hot.
Turning data into action
Communication with residents ties it all together. Through Prefect’s Behavioural Sustainability Initiative, operators can message a single room or the whole building. The system also sends automated nudges based on what’s happening in each room, such as a prompt to ventilate when humidity rises or advice on consumption when use is high.
The building doesn’t just record waste. It responds to it, often before anyone needs to step in.
The result
Camden Court gives Unite Students full visibility of energy, water and safety performance, down to individual rooms, and the ability to act the moment an issue arises. For energy managers looking to get more from existing buildings, it’s a clear picture of what connected control can deliver.
This article appeared in the Nov/Dec 2026 issue of Energy Manager magazine. Subscribe here.
