Energy Coordinator Summer Meetup
On Tuesday 27th June 2017, staff from the University’s Energy Coordinator network met to hear and discuss recent developments on the University’s energy programme.
18 staff attended to hear updates from SRS and Estates on the last quarter, the results from the Energy Coordinator survey carried out earlier this year, and a presentation on encouraging behavioural change.
SRS Updates
Chris Litwiniuk, Projects Coordinator in the Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability, gave updates on current UK energy news, the carbon savings from Sustainable Campus Fund projects, and the progress of the Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Options (RELCO) Group.
A spell of warmer, clear and windy days have meant fantastically high renewable uptake. For a few days, renewables produced around 45% of electricity in the UK, making electric heating more environmentally beneficial during this time.
Energy Coordinator Survey Results
Mairi Kemp, Energy Programme Assistant, updated the network with her findings from the Energy Coordinator Survey that was carried out in March 2017 and discussed how the role could be improved. From the discussion, it was agreed that the role can vary by department and building but having additional resources available (such as check sheet guidance, presentation slides and access to energy data) would be beneficial to those who want them.
Estates updates
David Jack, Energy Manager in the Estates Department, briefed everyone on current University suppliers, systems and billed utilities. David talked about energy consumption prices with the peak price being between 4.30pm – 7.30pm, explaining that it would put less pressure on the grid to use appliances at different times during the day and would keep costs down during peak time. It was also noted that the use of electricity at certain times of the day can promote use of renewables in the grid.
Behavioural change 101
Alan Peddie, Project Coordinator in the Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability, gave a presentation on the challenges of behaviour change with some ideas and techniques to encourage people change to behaviours that are considered more sustainable.
Targets for the future
The Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability will continue to work closely with the Energy Coordinator network to encourage the University community to achieve more sustainable practices and behaviours.
Things to look out for in the future:
- New materials will be available soon for Energy Coordinator recruitment
- The potential for talks about personal energy use looking at Smart Metering – let us know if you would be interested in this
More Information
- Energy saving information at the University of Edinburgh
- Energy Coordinators
- The Estate's department Energy Office
If you require any help or advice on carrying out your role as an Energy Coordinator, do not hesitate to get in touch.
Chris Litwiniuk
Engagement Manager
Contact details
- Work: +44 (0)131 651 5589
- Email: chris.litwiniuk@ed.ac.uk
Availability
After completing an MSc in Energy and Environmental Management, Chris joined the University in 2013, initially as an intern in the Waste Team, then moving to the Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability to work on programmes related to energy, travel and supply chains.
He coordinates the Engagement Team, working on projects to implement different sustainability initiatives across the University, and also oversees applications to the Sustainable Campus Fund.