How Utopi Helped The Fairfax Identify Opportunities To Reduce Energy Costs by 45%
Granular room-level insight uncovered hidden energy waste across 475 apartments — contributing to operational cost savings before occupation.
“Without Utopi’s data, it would have been significantly more difficult to identify where the energy was going. The visibility at apartment level allowed us to identify and resolve a costly issue in days, not months.”The FairFax
The Challenge.
The Fairfax – a Round Hill Capital Build-to-Rent development in Manchester, comprising of 488 beds across two blocks – was experiencing unexpectedly high utility costs despite the buildings being largely unoccupied. With no clear visibility into where energy was being consumed, operational teams were unable to pinpoint the source of the issue.
Using Utopi’s granular, room-level insights and intuitive Utopi Platform, the team quickly identified abnormal electricity usage patterns across multiple apartments, specifically in the bathrooms. The data revealed a consistent trend of elevated consumption and excessively high room temperatures that was significantly above baseline expectations for an empty building.
The Utopi Solution.
With support from Utopi’s Customer Impact Team, the Fairfax site team used the Utopi heat map to drill down into energy consumption at room level, giving them the insight needed to investigate further on the outliers showing high temperatures and excessive energy consumption. On-site inspections confirmed that electric heated towel rails had been left running at full temperature post-installation throughout the asset — a common but costly oversight during the build and pre-occupation phase.
Armed with clear, real-time data, the Fairfax team were able to act immediately. Heated towel rails were switched off and temperature settings were reconfigured to minimal standby levels across the development seeing a significant drop in energy usage.
The Results.
- 4% reduction in daily electricity consumption across the building
- 987 kWh saved every day
- £7,699 projected monthly savings
- £93,666 projected annual savings
- 77% reduction in high-consuming apartments
Most importantly, the intervention was completed in just eight days from anomaly detection to measurable impact. What could have remained an invisible operational cost for months was rapidly identified and resolved through data-led building performance management.
Key Impact.
45% Reduction in Electricity Costs
£7.7k Monthly Projected Savings
77% Fewer High-Consuming Apartments
“The speed from insight to action was what stood out most. Utopi gave us complete clarity on the issue, and the resulting savings delivered immediate operational value across the asset.”The Fairfax
Why It Matters.
For asset owners and operators, hidden energy waste can quietly erode NOI long before residents move in. Utopi transforms building data into actionable operational insight, enabling teams to identify inefficiencies, reduce costs, and improve asset performance at scale.
Disclaimer: This case study is provided for illustrative purposes only. The results presented relate to a specific asset under particular conditions and may not be representative of outcomes across other assets. No reliance should be placed on this information as a guarantee of future performance or savings.