Top tips to reduce our carbon footprint on campus

The University has the expertise and partnerships to play a significant role in tackling global sustainability challenges, and has set a number of ambitious sustainability targets.

As we head into the warmer months, we need the help of our campus community to achieve these goals.

Here are some top tips of things you can do while at work to reduce our carbon footprint:

• Turn electronics off by the switch when they’re not in use.
• Ensure lights are turned off at the end of the day.
• Please notify the Estates team if your building or area is too hot or too cold – each extra 1 degree of heat can use around 8% additional energy.
  
• As the weather gets warmer, open doors and windows to prevent the room from getting stuffy and minimise air conditioning.
• When cold, keeping doors and windows closed when heating a room will help maintain warmth. Please do not use equipment such as portable heaters – an 11kw portable heater currently costs around £1 per hour to run.
• Don’t print something unless you absolutely need it in hard copy – refer to a digital version instead or, if someone needs a copy, email it or share it via Teams or SharePoint.

As winter approaches and as energy prices continue to be high, we will share some top tips of things you can do at home to keep energy prices down.

There are many parallels with what we do at home and at work from an energy and carbon management perspective. We are all looking to reduce our carbon footprints, to recycle and to segregate our waste. It is essential that we all play our part in reducing energy consumption for the sake of the University and for the planet.

If you have any queries or concerns about heating, cooling and energy use in your building, please do not hesitate to contact the Estates team.

Thank you for playing your part in helping us become more sustainable.