Carbon Management Plan
The University spends over £9 million per year on energy and water and is committed to reducing its energy consumption and carbon footprint. Our Carbon Management Plan [pdf] has been approved by the University and provides targets for reducing carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) to 2020.
The plan includes a new framework for large scale investment to deliver these targets. Key strategic areas of work will be:
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improvements to building fabric and insulation
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fume cupboards
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lighting upgrades
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major equipment upgrades
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renewable energy projects
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behaviour change and awareness
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boiler replacement programme
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green IT
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lower energy strategies for activities within buildings
The targets are also given in the University's strategic plan and require average annual reductions in energy consumption of 6GWh and CO2 emissions of 2,800 tones.
Building Management System (BMS)
An essential part of our carbon management is our Building Management System (BMS). Our BMS is one of the largest in the sector and uses a series of more than 900 micro computers, all of which communicate to our buildings from another location with pumps, sensors, boilers, and other plant control. Today we are able to programme this system to ensure that we maximise our energy efficiency, using:
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scheduling
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weather compensation
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optimum start functions
We are continuously reviewing this system to ensure that we are using energy efficiently whilst at the same time providing appropriate conditions for the occupants of the buildings.