Company details for Prefect Controls Ltd

Prefect Controls Ltd

  • 0178 (Display number) 01787 320604
Unit 2 Church Field Business Park
Church Field Road
Sudbury Suffolk CO10 2YF United Kingdom

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About us

Established in 1997, Prefect Controls Ltd aimed to design and produce intuitive yet straightforward energy controls that met the commercial needs of building operators while offering fixed control access for occupants.

In 1997, Prefect focused on commercial sectors such as room providers, student accommodation, and hotels, where excessive heating energy use by guests—who did not directly bear the cost—was a significant issue.

We identified a clear market need for a range of controls that would allow guests to manage their own settings, while enabling business owners to maintain overall control of temperature and time settings behind the scenes. By addressing the needs of both guests and business owners, Prefect Design Engineers have developed a comprehensive range of space heating controls, from standalone (local) units to fully centralised systems. Throughout this process, our focus on the original brief—“Clever but simple”—has guided us from design through system installation and into end-user operation.

Our Products Include:

irus - Central Control

Prefect Irus is an award-winning building energy management system designed for multiple occupancy properties like university accommodations and hotels. It addresses the challenge of managing energy costs by providing precise control over heating and other environmental factors, preventing issues such as excessive heating when rooms are unoccupied or windows are open. With features like Mains Borne Signalling (MBS) for cost-effective installation, Irus allows easy setting and monitoring of temperatures and time profiles in each room. It also tracks humidity, CO2, light, and noise levels to ensure a comfortable living environment and can manage water heating to optimise energy savings and detect leaks. Unlike other systems, Irus offers unparalleled localised control, ensuring energy is used only when necessary.

ecoStat - Local Control
ecoStat integrates operational efficiency with guest comfort by allowing occupants to adjust the temperature within preset limits using the room’s intelligent thermostat. It features three modes: ‘Setback’ for normal occupancy, ‘Boost’ for higher temperatures on demand, and ‘Frost’ for extended vacancies. Compatible with electric panel heaters, wet radiator systems, and most boilers, ecoStat's robust construction make it well-suited for demanding environments like student accommodations. It also detects unoccupied rooms and open windows to adjust heating accordingly. ecoStat is 100% tamper-proof due to the dedicated infrared programming handset used to adjust individual room controls. One handset is required for each site and is only accessible to authorised personnel.

HobSensus - Kitchen Safety
HobSensus is an award-winning kitchen safety device tailored for student accommodations, communal kitchens, and assisted-living settings. It prevents overheating by cutting power to the hob before reaching fire flashpoint temperatures and automatically switches off after 30 minutes of inactivity. The device features a 64-zone temperature sensor and is compatible with most 600mm or 900mm electric hobs, offering a 40Amp switching capacity. It operates on hard-wired (LV) or battery power and integrates with the Prefect Irus Central Control system. Compliant with EN50615:2015, HobSensus is quick to install and easy to use.

To ensure our products perform at their best, we offer a full range of pre- and post-sales services.

We handle everything from heat loss calculations and system installation to commissioning and training personnel on operation and best practices. For more information about these services, please contact us.


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Latest Reviews

Prefect Controls Ltd

Although not a common occurrence, we perhaps have a kitchen incident, once a year at UWE, fortunately our smoke detection and fire alarms prevent its escalation”. We initially trialled about 100 rooms, and it just worked, so we rolled it out across the whole site. Since installation, touch wood, we haven’t had any fire incidents at all! When installed mid-term, we had to explain why there was a change happening, to some students, and show them what to do, but Prefect provided a sticker that goes next to the unit with operating instructions and a QR code that takes you to a video explaining why and how etc. It’s easy to use, just press the red button, then carry on as usual. With new intakes of students, they don’t question it, they realise it’s for their benefit and they just get on with it. Installation went very well and was straight-forward considering most rooms were occupied. Prefect gave us a schedule and stuck to it, and they have very good aftercare, with training, issue solving, and providing instructions - videos and all those kinds of things. Automation of this kind just makes my job a bit easier

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Prefect Controls Ltd

The installation went surprisingly well, considering the circumstances of working around lockdowns and ensuring the safety of any students on site, and the contractors. We are very happy with the results we are seeing here and we’re extending the system into a new development currently under construction. The use of Mains Borne Signalling for communication between the room control units and the portal means it’s very easy and cost-effective to add rooms without the expense of extensive data cabling. We are really keen on a reset button for the end of the year so that when students return to site in September all rooms will be back to the standard profile, and we won’t have various different settings throughout blocks. The main drivers for considering Irus were energy, carbon, and of course cost reduction. Comparing the same period we saw [energy consumption] reduced to 3.2Million kWh (22% saving). At the current tariff this equates to just under £150,000 [saving] per year.

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Prefect Controls Ltd

When we saw the Prefect offering, we thought Fab! This is what we need, more control, shorter running times, reduced energy consumption… The biggest fear we had for this whole project was from the accommodation team. Considering we were planning the install around conference bookings they were really anxious about disruptions to residents. No matter how good the product is, it was the installation upset that could have blown the whole project. To have the reassurances we received from Bangor and Bristol universities, who have worked with Prefect before, really helped to get the accommodation team on board. That good reputation went beyond the product. If we have students isolating and they have a problem with their heating we can deal with it without even entering the building, which was an added bonus during the Covid-times.

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