Pinsent Masons, the multinational law firm, has introduced an innovative, green technology to its London headquarters to reduce their energy usage and emissions.
The firm has signed an agreement with climate tech startup OakTree Power to implement its climate technology solution to its City of London office, making it the first organisation in the UK legal sector to adopt this solution.
OakTree Power enables electricity use in commercial buildings, such as offices and hotels, to be intelligently reduced for short periods, without impacting performance -providing crucial flexibility services while reducing unavoidable emissions while contributing to a smarter more sustainable network.
The smart IoT controller integrates with Pinsent Masons’ own building controls systems to automatically reduce by a small amount, non-critical electrical plant and equipment such as pump motors, fans and air conditioning chillers. The solution is set to reduce otherwise inaccessible carbon emissions by over 50,000kg every year across the 200,000 square feet building.
On the partnership, Head of Sustainability and Facilities Compliance at Pinsent Masons, Allan Clark said: “As a multinational professional services business, we recognise the impact our operations have on the environment which is why we pledged to cut our global carbon emissions by at least 50% by 2030. We have made good progress, and this partnership with OakTree Power will enhance the suite of energy efficiency measures we have in place and help to support the National Grid.”
Chantel Scheepers, CEO of OakTree Power, comments: “The UK has made a bold commitment to achieve net zero goals by 2050, and in order to hit this target, more companies need to be following Pinsent Mason’s lead in adopting DSR. If every commercial building 200,000 square feet in London used DSR, the CO2 emissions reductions achieved would be the equivalent of taking 45,000 petrol cars off the road – something we should all be working towards.”
Previously only available at an industrial level, OakTree Power is providing large and medium-size commercial buildings access flexibility and balancing markets for the first time, making it possible for businesses to collectively help tackle climate change .