Over the last 8 years the university has invested in a range of energy and water saving measures that improve efficiency and save money.
The Uni kindly keep the Union up to date about their energy, gas and water use so that we can continue to invest in ways of reducing our use as part of out commitment to the environment.
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Our electricity bill is shocking!
But the good news is that our efforts are paying off. Over the last year we have mangaged to reduce electricity use by 14% which is fantastic! This brings our total reduction to 27% since 2012/13. So WATTS changed? We're continuing to invest in new lower energy technologies in the Union, and recently upgraded our boardroom to LED lighting reducing energy use by more than half - 860w to 360w. This is on top of a 5Kw reduction from lighting in the Ember lounge - the equivalent of boiling 2 kettles constantly!
For comparison, thats the same energy use as 40 UK homes!
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Our gas use is hot stuff!
Over the last few years we've asked the Uni to help make our buildings more energy efficient. In the summer of 2015 this involved installing brand new double galzing in the whole of the Ember building to keep the heat in. We also work closely with the Campus Life team, keeping on top of draughty doors and windows. Gas use is often dependant on the weather so we can't take all the credit, however we have great staff making sure we don't leave windows and doors open and that heating is appropriate in our offices. Gas use for heating and hot water has fallen by 19% compared with last year.
That saved enough gas to heat 21 UK homes!
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And our Water bill will leave you in floods of tears!
The last part of our report is a bit of a mystery.... as you may be able to see from the graph. Our monthly average water use is at the lowest since we started recording in 2014. However, we can't account for the sudden spike in 2016 & 17. In that year, we used 5 times more water than normal - and weirdly, no one knows why! We spoke to the Uni utilities expert Phil, who could only speculate to its cause. Thankfully what ever the cause, the problem has been resovled, and we're back on track to reduce water consumption. We're especially looking at our gendered toilets - sorry lads, urinals can be environmental menaces when it comes to water.
Our mystery water leak could fill 18,400 baths or one olympic swimming pool with plenty spare - Oops :/
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If you're carrying out research and would find the utilites use data useful,we can speak with the estates team on your behalf. Please get in contact with the Students' Union