Sector review of UK higher education energy consumption

Ward, Ian; Ogbonna, Anthony; Altan, Haşim

doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2008.03.031

Cited by 28 publications

(17 citation statements)

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“…These include the type of buildings on campus. Research indicates that there is a significant relationship between building age and energy consumption in the HE sector (Ward et al, 2008). The older, historic buildings at UBI may therefore act as a barrier to more energy-saving behaviour on the part of the university, and this may partially explain the lack of awareness of initiatives.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy saving on campus: a comparison of students' attitudes and reported behaviours in the UK and Portugal

Cotton

Shiel

Paço

2016

Journal of Cleaner Production

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Energy efficiency has an increasingly important role to play in responses to climate change at both an individual and organisational level (IPCC, 2014). Personal consumption patterns (consumer behaviour, household energy use, dietary changes etc.) are identified as crucial elements in the move towards lower carbon emissions, thus efforts to promote energy-saving behaviour change form an important part of the policy agenda (Brounen et al., 2012;Geller et al., 2006). Unfortunately, even when people are motivated to change their behaviour with regard to energy saving, many lack sufficient understanding to make appropriate decisions (Gardner and Stern, 2008;Lorenzoni et al., 2007), or fail to change their habitual responses to similar situations even in the light of altered intentions (Kastner and Matthies, 2014).Most energy saving activities are of the low-effort, low impact variety, and even more numerate individuals are only slightly more likely to gauge accurately the amount of energy saved by different actions (Attari et al., 2010). This suggests that enhancing energy literacy throughout all levels of education has an important role to play in encouraging energy saving behaviour (Liu et al., 2015). As DeWaters and Power (2013) The role of education in ensuring a more sustainable future is not in doubt: the recent United Nations 'Decade of Education for Sustainable Development' (DESD) (UN 2005(UN -2014 has provided a focus for the development of a range of educational initiatives with the overarching goal of integrating the values of sustainable development into all aspects of learning and, ultimately, encouraging behaviour change (UNESCO, 2015). Universities have a key role to play, as has been highlighted consistently in policy documents. However, despite a global movement that has repeatedly emphasised the role of universities through research, campus greening and education for sustainability (Sterling et al., 2013;Wals, 2014), there is less evidence of the impact of such endeavours on students' practical actions such as personal energy saving behaviours.This may seem surprising as across Higher Education (HE), 'campus greening' initiatives (particularly energy-saving measures by university estates teams) have progressed rapidly (Leal Filho, 2010).Embedding education for sustainability (EfS) within the curriculum has been slower and more problematic and yet there is strong potential for universities to influence students' energy saving behaviour. In theory, sustainability across the campus and the curriculum are inter-related (students learn not just from the formal curriculum, but also from the informal and hidden curricula, through social

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy saving on campus: a comparison of students' attitudes and reported behaviours in the UK and Portugal

Cotton

Shiel

Paço

2016

Journal of Cleaner Production

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“…Given capitalism's current provision of hightech, industrialised education, the actions that universities might take to remain relevant are critical. This does not imply that participation in HE will automatically diminish or that HE will become more niche or privileged, or that technology use will be reduced, especially as there is evidence that on-site HE energy consumption is not tightly coupled with student numbers (Ward et al, 2008). In fact, there may be a role for universities in acting as technological hubs for communities and networks.…”

Section: Developing Resilience: Comparing the Education And Health Sementioning

confidence: 99%

Questioning Technology in the Development of a Resilient Higher Education

Hall

Winn

2011

E-Learning and Digital Media

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This article considers the impact that peak oil and climate change may have on the future of higher education. In particular, it questions the role of technology in supporting the provision of a higher education which is resilient to a scenario both of energy depletion and the need to adapt to the effects of global warming. One emerging area of interest from this future scenario might be the role of technology in addressing more complex learning futures, and more especially in facilitating individual and social resilience, or the ability to manage and overcome disruption. However, the extent to which higher education practitioners can utilise technology to this end is framed by their approaches to the curriculum, and the sociocultural practices within which they are located. The authors discuss how open education might enable learners to engage with uncertainty through social action within a form of higher education that is more resilient to economic, environmental and energy-related disruptions. It asks whether more open higher education can be (re)claimed by users and communities within specific contexts and curricula, in order to engage with an increasingly uncertain world.

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“…Tanaka (2008) lists some indicators that may be applied in the assessment of energy efficiency performance. These include: absolute energy, energy intensity, diffusion of specific energy-saving technology and thermal efficiency (Ward et al 2008). In order to achieve appreciable progress towards carbon reductions, it is important that absolute targets are set for the higher education sector.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The difficulty with the HEIs is that the outputs are not tangible and the boundary definitions for different institutions vary significantly. The review by Ward et al (2008) revealed that the use of indices involving student numbers and floor areas yielded different degrees of correlation with energy consumption for different categories of HEIs across the UK. The study also noted that research student numbers rather than overall student population had a closer correlation with energy consumption.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is believed that the increases over the past years are due to the heating and lighting requirements of the vast estates, reliance on and heavy use of computers and power-hungry research equipment. Ward et al (2008) Conclusion drawn from the unfolding trends among HEIs is that reduction in energy consumption is a 'must' action for the higher education sector. Taking into account financial, environmental and social benefits, such reduction will save the institutions money, help in reducing the demand for finite fossil fuels and the associated green house gas emissions thus mitigating against harmful climate change, and enhancing the corporate image of the institutions.…”

Section: Key Higher Education Trendsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Energy efficiency interventions in UK higher education institutions

Altan

2010

Energy Policy

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Abstract:This paper provides an insight into energy efficiency interventions studies, focusing on issues arising in UK higher education institutions (HEIs) in particular. Based on a review of the context for energy efficiency and carbon reduction programmes in the UK and the trends in higher education sector, existing external and internal policies and initiatives and their relevant issues are extensively discussed. To explore the efficacy of some internal intervention strategies, such as technical, non-technical and management interventions, a survey was conducted among UK higher education institutions between February and April 2008. Consultation responses show that there are a relatively high percentage of institutions (83%) that have embarked on both technical and non-technical initiatives, which is a demonstration to the joined-up approach in such area.Major barriers for intervention studies are also identified, including lack of methodology, nonclarity of energy demand and consumption issues, difficulty in establishing assessment boundaries, problems with regards to indices and their effectiveness and so on. Besides establishing clear targets for carbon reductions within the sector, it is concluded that it is important to develop systems for effectively measuring and evaluating the impact of different policies, regulations and schemes in the future as the first step to explore.

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Sector review of UK higher education energy consumption

Cited by 28 publications

References 0 publications

Energy saving on campus: a comparison of students' attitudes and reported behaviours in the UK and Portugal

Energy saving on campus: a comparison of students' attitudes and reported behaviours in the UK and Portugal

Questioning Technology in the Development of a Resilient Higher Education

Energy efficiency interventions in UK higher education institutions

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