Saving energy in buildings

Saving energy in buildings

The University is facing an unprecedented rise in energy costs.  We want to reduce our overall carbon emissions, and also the amount we spend on gas and electricity. 

As a result, we must take urgent action to reduce energy consumption in University buildings.

Support implementation of the University’s steps:

1. Heat University buildings from 1 October to 31 March only.
2. Reduce the thermostat temperature of buildings to 19°C.
3. Heat buildings on weekdays only, and during core working hours.
4. Turn heating off in spaces that are not in use.

In your building: 

• Ensure department staff report all building heating, cooling, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration, BMS and control faults and issues to your building's maintenance team or site custodian. If Department staff are unable to address these, then ensure your building's maintenance team report them to the Estates Facilities Helpdesk. 
• Review ventilation demand in your building and identify particular times of the day, week or year that they could be reduced, without compromising safety and regulatory requirements (consult the Safety Office if you are unsure).
• Ensure that heating and cooling and ventilation are working in tandem (i.e. don’t open windows when the heating is on, don’t use air conditioning when the heating is on).
• Ask your building’s maintenance teams or site custodian to control the use of space heaters – especially if the building has building management system to control the temperature. Poor housekeeping around this is a fire risk too.

Ensure for common energy intense activities that:

• Cold storage samples are consolidated into fewer freezers.
• Remove older and less efficient freezers - the Equipment Replacement Programme can support this.
• Autoclave use is aggregated.
• Lighting and local heating/air conditioning systems are turned off at the end of the day or when leaving a room for two hours or more

Engage your colleagues:

• Please contact the Sustainability Team to discuss any ideas you have on improvements that could be made to your building to reduce energy use.The Team can advise whether your ideas can be developed into a project and may be eligible for support from the Carbon Reduction Fund. 
• You could also hold an energy saving campaign within your department and ask your staff and students to come forward with their ideas on how to save energy. 

Thank you, we appreciate your efforts.