Decarbonising Critical Infrastructure

Two critical buildings were still tethered to a central utility plant that was nearing the end of its life. That alone posed a risk to long-term operations. But the bigger issue was strategic: the site needed a way to reduce its carbon footprint, support future consolidation, and take control of its energy use without disrupting day-to-day performance.

This wasn’t just about replacing ageing infrastructure. It was about creating a smarter, more resilient setup that aligned with long-term sustainability goals and gave the site the flexibility to evolve. The challenge was clear: decouple, decarbonise, and do it in a way that made operational and financial sense.

Initially, we were brought in to investigate a failed pipework system. From the site inspection, it became clear that this failure was part of deeper site-wide asset and infrastructure issues. These issues pointed to a broader opportunity: to rethink how these buildings were supplied by utilities, and to set the site up for long-term asset resilience.

We didn’t just patch the problem. We stepped back to view the bigger picture and uncovered a strategic pathway to decouple both buildings from the central utility plant. That shift opened the door to significant carbon savings, operational resilience, and a future-ready energy model.

The biggest hurdle wasn’t technical; it was the lack of reliable data. With no metered steam usage, we had to build a demand model from scratch, relying on engineering judgment and operational insight.

Key challenges included:

• No clear baseline for steam demand
• Uncertainty around peak and average loads
• High risk of mis-sizing systems and overspending
• Need for a robust, assumption-led approach to guide decisions

Despite the gaps, we created a solid foundation that shaped every step of the programme with confidence.

We developed a six-year roadmap to fully decouple both buildings and cut emissions by over 95%. The sequence was intentional: reduce demand, electrify, then install permanent infrastructure, avoiding unnecessary spend and unlocking value at every stage.

Key actions:

• Metering for energy baselines
• HVAC optimisation
• Heat pumps for heating
• Reuse of existing systems

This isn’t just about cutting carbon, it’s about building long-term resilience, reducing costs, and creating a scalable model for future decarbonisation without compromise.