Universities can overcome the challenge of removing gas heating
Mike Egan, Business Development Manager, highlights the challenges and opportunities for applying new heating and cooling technologies in older university buildings.
With a national footprint of over 21 million m2 and growing, UK universities manage a significant size and range of buildings. A modern campus can encompass anything from lecture theatres to specialist laboratories, on-site data centres, and student accommodation.
In 2023, the Royal Anniversary Trust highlighted the challenge this poses when it comes to shrinking the sector’s carbon footprint. The Trust’s report Accelerating to Net Zero states that tertiary education sector (all education for over-18s) emissions across Scope 1, 2 and 3 are 18.1 million tonnes CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent).
Universities account for 86% of that figure, of which 19% is produced by its built environment using fuel on-site (e.g., natural gas) and electricity. According to figures from the recent AUDE report on UK universities, total carbon emissions from the UK university estate in 2022 averaged 55.1 kg CO2/m2, up from 54.6 kg CO2/m2 in the previous year