The Big Energy Race is a Workspace portfolio wide energy reduction campaign. The campaign was first delivered in February 2024 and after a successful month of tenant engagement and energy reduction is was repeated in November 2024.

In the latest campaign, Each site was given an energy saving target, dependent on its previous energy consumption. The sites were categorised in four clusters and the site in each cluster that surpassed its energy-saving target by most won trees planted in the UK.

A multifaceted engagement strategy was created to support the campaign. This included: a dedicated webpage, onsite posters, customer newsletter, workshops, social media take over and awareness stalls on all sites. Customers and employees were asked to submit an energy saving pledge which were shared widely to inspire others. 

Throughout the month we teamed up with FuturePlus, customer and sustainability experts at Metal Box, to put on Carbon Crunch workshops for customers and employees to upskill and engage them with the campaign. The workshop was highly valued by our SMEs as it equipped them with the tools to assess their own carbon emissions footprint.

The Results

Together we saved, 255,742 kWh in November 2024 compared to November 2023. Whilst the energy savings achieved can’t be entirely attributed to customer actions (a significant reduction is achieved by our own energy optimisation efforts), small actions by our customers such as switching off lights and appliances, thermostat tweaks and use of stairs has contributed to the initiative.

255,742 kWh is the equivalent to one of the following:

There were 4 winners, one from each of the 4 corners of London:

1. The Shepherds Building, in Shepherds Bush. Energy reduction of 14% / 23,108 kWh in Nov 24 compared to Nov 23 + 155 pledges.
2. The Chocolate Factory, in Wood Green. Energy Reduction of 33% / 14,770 kWh in Nov 24, compared to Nov 23 + 39 pledges.
3. Salisbury House, in Moorgate. Energy reduction of 21% / 23,459 kWh in Nov 24 compared to Nov  23. 111 pledges.
4. Kennington Park, in Oval. Energy Reduction of 17% / 50,971 kWh in Nov 24 compared to Nov 23 + 110 pledges.

The Reward

A total of 200 native trees (50 per winning site) will be planted across the UK, helping to cut carbon emissions while supporting UK veterans through Carma’s partnerships. Each tree will absorb around 0.7 tonnes of carbon over its lifetime - adding up to an impressive 140 tonnes of emissions offset.

Pledges

We had a significant increase in pledges this time round with 1,951 pledges in November VS 330 pledges in February. This was due to teams going out to site and interacting with customers via engagement stalls.

Example Pledges:

“I pledge to switch off my laptop rather than leave it on charging” Customer at Swan Court

“Use thermos bottles to stop the need to re-use the kettle throughout the day” Customer at Brickfields

“use the stairs instead of the lift” Customer at Light Bulb

“Use one mug per day vs one per drink” Customer at Goswell Road

Customer feedback

Feedback from customers was overwhelmingly positive and we expect to see a positive impact on our customer ESG advocacy score as a result. We will do another wrap up in the New Year to amplify the message.

”Thank you for arranging the lunch yesterday with Future Plus. I really appreciate the work that Workspaces puts into sustainability and it's a big reason we choose Workspaces as our office host in London!” Customer from Aegis, feedback on the workshop.