CUBE competition has already saved enough energy to power over 3,000 homes

The UK’s first competition launched by CUBE to tackle the dual challenges of energy efficiency in commercial buildings has already saved 15GWh in energy, that’s enough to power over 3,000 homes for a year.

The competition’s innovative approach brings landlords, building managers and occupiers together and, through gamification, mobilises them to reduce their consumption – i.e. the logical first step to net zero. With monthly rankings and an annual awards ceremony, the challenge mirrors a sports season.

The UK’s first edition of the competition includes 30 participants – ranging from grade II listed buildings to iconic skyscrapers like the Walkie-Talkie and the Cheesegrater.

The current energy crisis has increased the urgency of finding energy saving solutions, which is why so many players in the built environment are already taking steps in the right direction. CUBE expect that as more commercial buildings join the movement even more energy will be saved.  Six months into its first season, the results are in and collectively CUBE participants have made 15 GWh in energy savings, reduced expenditure by £4 million and are on track to save 12-15 per cent in costs by the end of the competition, with some top performers even on course to save over 30 per cent.

Mark Bruno, Chief Ambassador of CUBE, commented: “When we set up CUBE we wanted to create a pathway for landlords and occupiers to work collaboratively and creatively to achieve net zero. This is only CUBE’s inaugural year but already we’ve signed up some of the biggest names in the built environment, which is really encouraging as it shows just how much landlords and investors are now prioritising ESG solutions.

“What’s also remarkable is the amount of energy we’ve already collectively managed to save. With the savings reported to date, you could completely power over 3,000 UK homes for a year, which is no small feat during an energy crisis. We’re now ramping up for the 2023 competition, so we expect these numbers to keep rising as we look forward to the second year of the competition.”

Set up for landlords, building managers and occupiers, CUBE is a community of businesses which understands that achieving net zero starts with reducing energy use in their buildings. It is based on encouraging behavioural change and simple building reprogramming, supported  by quarterly events where participants share experiences, ideas, and push each other to do more. For users and employees, it engages everyone in a friendly, fun and collaborative competition to facilitate improved energy performance – one building at a time.

Originally developed by leading real estate experts A4MT in France, the competition has had widespread industry support and made a huge impact over six years – saving the equivalent of £10.5 million in costs and enough energy to power almost 27,500 UK homes for a year. Successful participants include BNP Paribas, Carrefour and Orange, the latter recouping its entire investment in just four months.

CUBE is about simple interventions that make a big difference. It sets a baseline based on the previous one to three years of energy consumption data, then collects utility bills monthly to assess performance, improvements and highlight successes. With a range of support, tools and ideas from previous competitions, it helps firms identify how to continue to slash energy use.

In the UK, office buildings waste on average a staggering 30 per cent of the energy they use every year, so every organisation that signs up can only benefit from participation. Once they’ve signed up, each entrant receives a monthly ranking, based on the data. The 10 best results are published on a monthly basis and an annual award ceremony celebrates top overall performers.