UCL Easter Switch Off 2026 saves the carbon equivalent weight of over 1.37 million creme eggs!

The UCL community once again demonstrated its commitment to environmental sustainability through the annual Easter Switch Off campaign. Leading up to the end of Term 2, the efforts of staff and students led to substantial energy savings and a significant reduction in carbon emissions. Congratulations to our champions, the Bartlett School of Architecture, and a big shout-out to our individual winners who pledged to help UCL reduce its impact.

Impressive energy and carbon savings

The 2026 Easter Switch Off was a success, with the university achieving a reduction of 305,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) in energy use, compared to 264,000 kWh saved last year. This translated into £45,000 in cost savings and a reduction of 55 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO₂e) - the weight of over 1.37 million creme eggs. This amount of carbon reduction is similar to planting around 950 trees, demonstrating how small actions across campus can collectively make a meaningful difference.

Celebrating our competition winners

Staff and students across UCL pledged to switch off as part of the competition. Congratulations to the Bartlett School of Architecture, who contributed to almost 50% of the energy savings alone and emerged as the faculty winners! You will receive £50 towards sustainability-related initiatives or events.

Honourable mention goes to LCCOS for having the highest number of pledges from a single department.

And for the one lucky prize draw winner who will receive the Sustainable UCL special spring hamper filled with sustainable goodies, is:

• Abigail Maya Surin, Bartlett School of Environment, Energy and Resources

The winner of the individual prize draw has been contacted by the Sustainable UCL team to arrange collection of their prize.

What action is UCL taking to reduce energy use?

Making our campus more energy-efficient

• Repairing existing and installing more controls for heating, cooling and lighting.
• Linking heating systems to on-campus weather data to better match heating provision with demand.
• Connecting room booking systems with heating controls so unoccupied rooms are not heated unnecessarily.
• Implementing LED lighting upgrades and improving Building Management System (BMS) controls to enhance building performance and efficiency.
• Adopting a fabric-first approach for refurbishment and construction projects to reduce energy demand from the outset.

Streamlining our operations

• Continuing to optimise building management to improve heating, lighting and ventilation efficiency.
• Adjusting building operating hours where appropriate to reflect usage patterns.
• Encouraging departments to sign up to sustainability programmes such as Green Impact and LEAF to create efficiencies that reduce energy use.

Making improvements to our IT services

• Consolidating data storage into more energy-efficient data centres.
• Improving management of desktop computing power across campus to reduce unnecessary electricity use.

Stay in touch

Follow us on social media or sign up to our sustainability newsletters to find out more and be the first to know about future Switch Off campaigns.

Savings calculations:

• On average, one tree can consume approximately 60kg of CO₂ from the atmosphere.
• Carbon savings given are CO₂e (carbon dioxide equivalent).
• Department winner: Calculated by percentage participation per department compared with the percentage energy saving of the department.
• Prize draw winner: Chosen by random number generator.