The Sustainability team, supported by our wonderful sustainability champions, have been running a ‘lights out’ campaign to reduce energy waste within the University. This is because people often leave lights on unnecessarily in unoccupied areas across our campuses.
Thank you so much to everyone who has supported our campaign to date! Please continue to support us by switching off the lights when they aren’t needed and reporting issues via the following Microsoft Form. We would especially like to hear about any circulation areas (corridors, staircases, lobbies etc.) which don’t currently have automated sensor controls.
Campaign Activities Undertaken
- Comms out to staff and students via central communications channels
- Sustainability champions promoting the campaign within their Schools and Directorates
- Microsoft Form open to all staff and students to report areas of repeated energy waste, or issues/barriers which make turning the lights off problematic
- Student lighting audits and switch offs conducted at the end of the day
Key Findings from the Campaign
- Lights are frequently left on in communal and shared spaces
- We must keep lights on in circulation spaces to maintain safety
- Lights are often left on in teaching rooms and bookable rooms which no one ‘owns’
- People often leave the lights on for others who might be using the space after them. Whilst this is considerate, if there’s no one waiting to use the room when you leave, it’s not necessary as other building users can switch the lights back on if needed
- In some areas of the University, lighting controls are confusing and not intuitive to use
Next Steps to Improve Energy Efficiency
The University has a planned lighting upgrade programme over the next few years including installing automated off lighting controls. Therefore, the Sustainability team has identified actions to address the conclusions drawn from our campaign in the short term:
- Prioritising the roll out of automated lighting controls in staircases and corridors
- Creation of signs explaining how the lighting controls work where there is confusion
- Roll out of ‘switch off’ stickers in bookable rooms within the University
- Engagement with sustainability champions and other stakeholders on specific issues
Switching Off Lights: A New Norm
Please make switching off the lights your everyday norm. By taking this simple step, you’ll help reduce energy use, costs and carbon emissions – and encourage others across the University to do the same.
