Churchill College in the University of Cambridge

buliding in the background with a sign saying churchill

Churchill College benefits from reliable
and energy-efficient heat and electricity

Receiving its Royal Charter in 1960, Churchill College in the University of Cambridge is the national and Commonwealth memorial to Sir Winston Churchill and is situated on 42 acres in north-west Cambridge. As one of the largest Cambridge campuses, the college is renowned for its academic standing and has produced 29 Nobel Prize winners among its past and present members.


The challenge

To maintain its sustainability credentials, Churchill College provides reliable and energy-efficient heat and
electricity supplies for its facilities to support its academic and research activities in mathematics,
science and technology, the arts and humanities.

The solution

Starting in 1993, Veolia designed and installed a 167kWe CHP unit to supply the campus. Operated and maintained by Veolia under a service agreement, the CHP completed over 120,000 generating hours over a 22-year life – equivalent to a vehicle completing over 5 million miles or 208 trips around the earth!

Following the success of the unit, in 2015 the college decided to take advantage of the benefits of a modern, more efficient unit.

Veolia’s CHP team designed and managed the installation and commissioned the unit. The new CHP uses the latest lean-burn technology to generate low-carbon electricity and heat for the campus, and will save an estimated 330 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.

As CHP units utilise the heat produced in electricity generation to provide hot water, they are more efficient and sustainable, provide energy security and take the power load off the UK electricity infrastructure.

Value delivered

Veolia’s CHP programme has maintained long-term energy efficiency for the campus. Stable energy costs have helped cost planning, and reductions in CO2 emissions have supported sustainability and environmental targets.

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Veolia UK | Churchill College case study, key stats