Energy saving at a stroke

Swimming pools require a lot of energy, but savings are possible

Adjustments to the ventilation system at the University of Bath’s 50m swimming pool have resulted in energy savings worth some £30,000.

Peter Phelps, the university’s Energy & Environment Manager, explained how it was done. “We added Variable Speed Drive controls to the Air Handling Units that allowed us to maintain closer control over the system and to run it slower at night. The new controls cost £11,500 and have knocked £30,000 off the electricity bill, so this represents a pretty good payback.”

Daily electricity consumption has been reduced from 3000kWh to 2000kWh, representing an annual saving of 350,000 kWh which represents 150 tonnes of CO2.

For more about the university’s sustainability work, see www.bath.ac.uk/estates/energy

Challenge 4

Switch off desk lights when they are not in use

Switch off lights when they’re not in use. Individual desk lamps are likely to be energy savers if they are used instead of overhead lighting, but they should still be turned off when you leave your desk – even if only for a few minutes. Lights also give off heat, and in summer the combined output of several desk lamps and computers can make a room feel uncomfortably warm.