The aim of the Energy Conservation Program applied in the European University of Lefke (EUL) is to reduce energy consumption and the use of fossil fuel on campus, integrate renewable energy applications and preserve energy resources for future generations.
Awareness of EUL Community
We, as the European University of Lefke, are following the concept of “Think globally and act locally” by increasing the awareness to simple actions, which would help us make major differences in our University’s environmental footprint. The actions that our staff and students and made aware of include:
– Keeping doors and windows closed when heating and cooling systems are on to save energy.
– Turning heating-cooling systems on only when required. EUL’s security officers are taking a role in controlling the use of heating-cooling systems outside the working hours.
– Avoiding using personal heaters in the campus buildings that could contribute to energy consumption.
– Turning on lights only when necessary. The aim is to maximize the benefit from daylighting and reduce the need for lightning. EUL’s security officers regularly check the lights of all of the buildings outside the working hours.
– Always making maximum use of daylight. If you get uncomfortable glare on your computer screen, consider rearranging your desktop (where possible) before closing blinds and turning on the lights.
– Maximising computer efficiency. Switch off your computer and screen when you leave work for the day.
Community Initiatives on energy saving: Social interaction has the potential to increase awareness of energy conservation. Based on this concept, EUL is implementing social interaction programs, such as competitions to enhance energy conservation awareness and support staff and students to reduce their energy use.
Energy Management is everyone’s responsibility. In order to inform the students about the importance of saving energy, banners are posted on campus noticeboards. Additionally, social network and digital media have been used to increase awareness of energy conservation strategies among the EUL community. This is also important in terms of adopting behaviors towards conservation of energy during the whole life, even after graduation from the university.
Energy Efficient Lighting
– LED lights, which use considerably less energy, have been used throughout the campus for about 8 years.
– Motion sensor LED lights have been installed along most of the communal areas to reduce the consumption of unnecessary use of electricity for 9 years
– Throughout the campus, energy used in exterior poles is produced by Solarsystems attached to them to reduce energy consumption for street lighting.
Significant energy savings have been achieved through our energy-efficient lighting actions.
Energy-Efficient Heating and Cooling
Centrally managed systems are used to monitor the effective use of energy for heating and cooling in most of the buildings on campus. EUL’s future plans include implementing more energy-efficient central systems to control energy consumption throughout the main campus.
Energy-Efficient Appliances and Equipment
The appliances and equipment used on campus are all energy-efficient and equipped with products labeled with A+, A++, or A+++ grades according to European Union energy labeling such as;
– Cooking appliances, fridges, washing and drying facilities in residence halls
– Computers and printers used in offices
– Laboratory equipment used throughout campus
– High-speed hand dryers that are 80% more efficient are used throughout the campus
Energy-Efficiency Management in Campus Buildings
In the existing buildings, we aim to supply 30% of our energy demand through renewable energy opportunities in these buildings. We will increase our target on yearly basis. Informative signs for staff and students are now available on the noticeboards regarding reducing our energy needs.
Building Fabric and Renewable Energy Applications
EUL’s main aim is to increase energy efficiency through, initially building fabric and then renewable energy options. All the existing buildings on our campus building fabrics are improved to provide better thermal performance. In parallel with this, all the inefficient existing windows have been replaced with double-glazing ones.
On the south-facing roofs of some buildings in the campus, a photovoltaic system has been installed to produce electricity by using sunlight, considering the appropriate climate of the island of Cyprus for this purpose. We are planning to implement photovoltaic systems on the remaining buildings to improve the use of sunlight in order to meet the majority of the energy need of our campus with renewable resources.
In all the buildings on the campus, hot water is supplied through solar panels. Additionally, energy for heating up living areas of residence halls on campus is managed by a heat pump system, which allows efficient and cost-effective production of heat.
We are planning to isolate roofs of our academic and residence buildings with reflective roofs, which will help to reflect sunlight and prevent heat to warm up inner areas, reducing the consumption of energy.
Education and Training EUL community
EUL is aiming to provide education and training on the importance of environmental footprint and ways of reducing the consumption of energy to all of its Community. Regular training has been organized for administrative and academic staff on the importance of energy efficiency on campus. Additionally, Post-Graduate students in the Environmental Sciences Program have been conducting research on environmental knowledge behaviour and awareness of the EUL community.
It is important to increase students’ awareness and behaviour to save energy and make a sustainable life. For this purpose, a course entitled “Environment and Sustainable Development” was added to the curriculums of all the students in the university.
Future Action Plan
Based on our current performance, we aim to improve our environmental footprint further. The targets in our future action plan are as follows:
• Developing achievable and practical plans to reach our energy conservation goals
• Determining clear measures and verification procedures to evaluate our action strategies.
• Reducing total energy consumption by a minimum of 4% per year
• Considering integrated design in order to reduce the use of natural resources and maximize the energy efficiency in new buildings
• Considering more environmentally friendly and lower Global Warming Potential (GWP) mechanical systems for cooling purposes. Lower NOX emissions heat systems are going to be preferred to lessen pollution to the environment.
• Considering adaptability for global warming scenarios in our new buildings.
The Energy Efficiency Committee
The committee is made up of an energy conservation working group that includes representatives from academia, industry and professional volunteers.