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Sustainable UCL

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Will you join the UCL community saving energy on campus?

2 November 2022

UCL is implementing a range of energy and carbon-saving initiatives, but we need your help to make this a success. Find out how we’re changing the way we work and use our buildings, and how you can make a difference.

Image of UCL's portico at night

Tackling the energy cost and climate crisis 

With the doubling of energy bills since the academic year begun, UCL is expected to pay almost £50 million on energy this year. This is a significant sum which could be better invested into our education, research, or operations.  

Alongside this we have made an ambitious commitment to be net zero carbon by 2030. We currently rank first in the University Carbon League and whilst we have reduced carbon emissions by 29% over the last 10 years, a step-change in our approach to energy saving is required if we are to meet our net zero target; including a 5% energy saving each year. 

How can we all help save energy on campus? 

  • Do an evening energy check before leaving UCL at the end of the day to make sure we’ve switched off our computers, monitors and lights. We currently spend £3,000 every hour overnight even when the campus is largely unoccupied. So even if we all just switched off our lights when we left the office, we could save UCL £500,000 a year – equivalent to the CO2 absorption of almost 7.5 million trees.  
  • Last person to leave? Our switch-off team has found that lights etc. are often left on in communal areas – so if we are the last person to leave a communal space whether that’s a shared office, meeting room or lecture theatre let’s turn off anything that seems safe to do so. 
  • Be a chameleon: Use layers to keep warm rather than turning the thermostat up. Keep our thermostats (where present) at no more than 20 degrees in autumn/winter, that is equivalent to the number 3 setting on a radiator.  
  • Ditch the electric heater Using electric heaters can make our colleagues cold. They cause false high temperatures to be sensed by the control system signalling for the heating system to turn-off. They also use a lot of energy, with each electric heater costing £1,000 to run over the winter period.  
  • Something not working? Please let us know. While we are working hard to find faults that are wasting energy, it is a huge campus and so your help identifying these is essential. If you notice energy wastage in the office – e.g., lighting controls not working, windows that will not close, please report them using this form.  

What else can I do? 

If you would like to be more involved in making your office or lab more sustainable, take part in UCL’s sustainability engagement programmes, Green Impact or LEAF (for those working in a lab) – 80 departments across UCL have already completed the programmes.   

What action is UCL taking?   

Alongside the actions we can all take we know that there is a huge potential to fix faulty equipment to save energy across campus and we have created a small team within Estates to focus on this.  Their priorities include:   

  • Repairing existing and installing more controls for heating, cooling and lighting.   
  • Working with the Energy Institute and others to link our heating system to on-campus weather stations helping to better match heating provision with demand. 
  • Connecting our room bookings system with our heating control system so unoccupied rooms are not heated unnecessarily.  
  • and undertaking surveys in buildings to both identify faulty lighting controls and quote for replacements for LEDs and controls.   
  • We are also making significant changes to the way we work and use our buildings and piloting new ways to reduce wasted energy. These include:  
  • Adjusting opening hours of some buildings. Non-critical lighting, heating and ventilation systems will be switched off or put into lower power modes wherever practical.   
  • Moving all Central Professional Services (PS) teams to Bidborough House from St Martins Le Grand (SMLG), 1st floor of Judd Street and 7th floor of Maple House   

A community making change possible  

For UCL to reach its energy and carbon targets, the whole community will need to work together. Our global community is already doing a lot for sustainability, with academics undertaking cutting edge research on climate change (see UCL’s Climate Hub), professors embedding sustainability into the curriculum (see UCL’s Sustainable Curriculum page), and 200 staff members volunteering as Sustainability Champions to take part in Green Impact and LEAF (Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework). Over 40 student sustainability ambassadors and multiple societies are also pushing the sustainability agenda internally and externally (see the Student Union’s Sustainability Hub).   

Saving energy at home  

We know that this is a really challenging time for staff and students due to the cost of living, and energy prices. See an article written by Dr Aurore Julien, from the UCL Bartlett School of Environment, Energy & Resources who shares four proven tips for homeowners to help reduce energy bills over the cold winter.