Saving energy in College
Appliances
- If every student turned their laptop off overnight we would save enough energy in a week to microwave over 22 tonnes of baked beans.
- If every Cambridge student only boiled the water they needed when making a cup of tea in one day we would save enough energy to do over 3600 loads of washing.
- Some simple ways that we can all reduce our electricity usage include:
- Only boiling as much water as we need when using the kettle.
- Turning off lights when leaving the room.
- Turning off appliances when not in use.
- Boil water in the kettle and then transfer it into a pan instead of boiling it on the hob.
- Put a lid on pans when cooking.
Heating
- The main source of residential emissions is heating and, in 2019, residential emissions accounted for around 15% of all UK greenhouse gas emissions (BEIS, 2021).
- It’s important to make sure that we’re not using more energy than we need to heat buildings.
- An easy way to avoid having to turn up the thermostat is by putting on another layer – it both has a lower carbon footprint and will warm you up quicker.
- One of the best ways to make sure our heating is energy efficient is by preventing heat loss, two great ways you can do this are by:
- Shutting doors when entering and leaving rooms.
- Shutting windows overnight and in winter.
Get involved
- Join The Cambridge Climate Society, dedicated to connecting, educating and empowering students through their climate events.
- Subscribe to our mailing lists and watch out for our new sustainability newsletter.
- Join Green Impact, an environmental accreditation scheme which presents awards to staff and students making their Colleges and Departments more sustainable.
- Become more informed about carbon by getting involved with the Cambridge Carbon Literacy Project.
- Develop your own environmental interventions as part of the Engage for Change program. ·
- Apply for a project or paid internship with the Living Lab to improve the University’s environmental sustainability.