As the days get colder and the heating goes on across campus, our energy use naturally starts to rise. At the University, winter is the hardest season for keeping our carbon footprint and our energy bills under control.
Last winter (November–March), our campus used over 3,500 MWh of electricity, that’s enough energy to charge around 300,000 mobile phones every day for a whole year.
We also used nearly 9,500 MWh of gas, burning this amount releases roughly the same carbon dioxide as driving a typical petrol car more than 20 million miles.
This year, we’re aiming to bring that down, together.
The Problem: Winter Hits Hard
Heating buildings, lighting darker days, and keeping equipment running add up quickly. Even small inefficiencies like a few windows left open, doors left ajar, lights on in empty rooms, portable heaters sneaking their way onto desks. Imagine this multiplied across many campus spaces and lots of people.
Energy costs are rising, and every extra kilowatt-hour burned means more carbon emissions that push our carbon reduction goals further out of reach.
The Solution: Simple Steps Everyone Can Take
Energy saving doesn’t have to mean sacrificing comfort. Small behaviours really do add up when a whole campus gets involved. Here’s what staff members and students can do:
- Be smart with heating
- Keep windows closed when the heating is on — even a small gap can waste huge amounts of heat.
- Avoid using personal electric heaters. If your space feels cold, report it to the Service Desk so we can fix the root cause.
- Switch off what you’re not using
- Lights, screens, chargers, lab kit. If you don’t need it, switch it off.
- Use natural daylight where possible. Winter days are short, but they aren’t all gloomy!
- Tidy up your desk energy habits
- Unplug laptops and devices fully at the end of the day.
- Enable power-saving modes on computers and monitors.
- Close internal doors
- They help keep warm air where it’s needed and reduce workload on heating systems.
- Choose cosy layers
- Wearing a jumper or an extra layer can make a real, measurable difference across campus energy demand.
Working Together
Our goal is simple: keep campus warm, comfortable, and sustainable throughout the winter. With everyone doing their bit. From switching off lights to shutting windows, we can reduce unnecessary energy use and make progress towards our carbon reduction targets.
Keep an eye on our sustainability channels for the latest figures and tips on winter energy saving measures
Amelia Iswariah
Sustainability & Energy Officer
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