Hemel Hempstead, UK – 23rd May 2024: Cisco and CAE announced today their collaboration with The ICT Service, Cambridgeshire County Council’s not-for-profit ICT advisory and support service for schools, to help deliver more sustainable connectivity and better energy management for 50 schools across the region. The initiative is aligned to the UK Government’s ambition for all schools to put in place a Climate Action Plan by 2025, and for the country to be a world leader in the education sector for sustainability and climate change by 2030.

 

Across Cambridgeshire, supported by Cisco and its Country Digital Acceleration Programme (CDA), CAE Technology Services and The ICT Service will be installing Cisco Meraki sensor and networking technology in new and existing schools. The sensors will monitor air quality, humidity, and temperature in school buildings to optimise the learning environment, with the aim of boosting students’ performance and engagement. Real-time insights and actionable data are expected to support increased energy efficiency, and help reduce operating costs and greenhouse gas emissions. 

 

Cisco’s Power over Ethernet (PoE) technology is being used to automatically power down the Wi-Fi overnight for energy savings. The sensor and networking technology deployed at all participating schools can then be managed from a central location via the Cisco Meraki dashboard, which unifies visibility, control, and management. The CAE Network Intelligence platform will track and measure the impact of savings in cost and greenhouse gas (CO2e) emissions.

 

Barry Cauldwell, Head of Technical Operations at The ICT Service commented: “The education sector is under more pressure than ever before to become more sustainable, evidence sustainability outcomes, and cut costs. Our trailblazing collaboration with Cisco and CAE Technology Services will make a radical difference to schools and academies across Cambridgeshire, setting the pace for educational institutions across the country.”

 

The sustainability of the deployed Cisco network infrastructure will be informed by the WiserWatts solution from CAE Technology Services, which intelligently measures and optimises power across entire networks to ensure they only consume the energy they need to deliver the curriculum in core hours. For example, Cromwell Community College, a co-educational all-through school and sixth form located in Chatteris, is already seeing an impact on its energy usage and savings from the installed technology. Using current monthly savings, over the next 8 years, the school is predicted to save 21,696kWh in energy consumption, £11,040 in costs, and 5,963 kg CO2e in emissions — equivalent to 6,571 pounds of coal burned. 

 

 

CAE Technology Services WiserWatts solution won first prize in Cisco’s first UK Fast Future Innovation Awards. The initiative recognises and enables innovation intended to help solve the issues and challenges facing UK organisations today. Through Cisco’s Country Digital Acceleration programme, in partnership with Cisco Innovation Labs, winners were awarded support in the form of resources, expertise, and scale to help develop, prototype and implement their ideas.

 

Ends 

 

The ICT Service is Cambridgeshire County Council’s ICT advisory and support service for schools and academies. We supply Education ICT focussed solutions to schools from the smallest standalone primary to the largest multi academy trust. Our services, skills and abilities are broad, delivering infrastructure, advice, guidance, technical consultancy/training and ongoing support to over 250 schools across the East of England.

 

People need amazing technology and technology needs amazing people. CAE Technology Services supports customers to deliver better outcomes by transforming lives and experiences through technology. Our value comes from implementing infrastructure solutions that are built with people in mind. We deliver expertise and insight to customers from across public and private sectors, who work with us in long term trusted partnerships. 

 

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in technology that powers the Internet. Cisco inspires new possibilities by reimagining your applications, securing your data, transforming your infrastructure, and empowering your teams for a global and inclusive future. Discover more on The Network and follow us on Twitter at @Cisco.  

 

Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A listing of Cisco's trademarks can be found at www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company.   

 

Lauren Flaxton - Lauren.Flaxton@caeuk.com