Neil Smith, a director of International multidisciplinary consultant WYG, has been received the 'Low Carbon Consultant of the Year' award at the annual CIBSE President's Awards Dinner.
The Low Carbon Consultant of the Year Award recognises measured energy performance and carbon reduction achievements by CIBSE registered low carbon consultants. Each consultant is invited to submit a list of the projects they have worked on and the carbon savings that have been achieved on each project, and to explain the measures they have used to deliver the savings.

Mr Smith, a WYG regional director, was recognised for his contribution to carbon saving during the previous year which was judged to be higher than any other CIBSE registered consultant.

The award was made in recognition of 'the significant savings in carbon across a range of projects where Neil identified low carbon strategies which were then developed and implemented by the Manchester mechanical and electrical building services engineering and sustainability team'.

The projects cited included a data centre for the Co-operative group, which uses innovative cooling systems and runs without mechanical cooling for 96 per cent of the year.

Also commended was the University of Liverpool's Vine Court 'eco residences' where the heating strategy was developed after researching the performance of existing properties to determine that a low carbon but highly controllable air source heat pump solution would provide the maximum benefit when coupled with solar thermal panels to heat domestic hot water.

The award was presented by Professor David Frisk, president of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers and former Chief Scientific Adviser to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Department of the Environment.

Mr Smith said: 'I am delighted to receive this award. Carbon emissions from buildings are a major contributor to global warming and reducing the carbon impact of our new and existing building stock is essential in meeting government targets and developing a low carbon future.

'We review every project to ensure that appropriate and practical low carbon strategies are fully embedded into our designs. I would like to thank the clients who have brought these fantastic opportunities to us and whose investments have allowed us to make the identified carbon savings. I would also like to thank the team at WYG who have developed the concepts and ensured that the original savings have been achieved in practice.'