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Looking for ideas on how to save energy through winter?

According to the Energy Saving Trust, around 40% of us worry about keeping our homes warm in winter. With the triple threat of climate change, the cost of living, and risk to energy security, we know that saving energy is on a lot of people’s minds. But as the days grow colder and the nights draw in, it’s easy to use more energy (and money) than we realise and increase our carbon footprint.

With your help on our Seize the Switch campaign last year, we pulled together handy tips and tricks from Sussex students and staff, who have pledged to save energy at our University and at home, helping our community save money and reduce carbon emissions.

This year for Seize the Switch, we have shared some of the top tips we received on Viva Engage and the Sustainability Instagram, @SustainableSussexUni. As these tips have been provided by staff and students right here at Sussex, we hope that people will find them easy to implement and beneficial, reducing the impact that energy has on the planet and our purses!

Along with helpful tips, members of the Sussex community shared commitments to ‘Seize the Switch’ in their daily life. We asked two members of staff to reflect on their experience:

Chris Harrison, Deputy Director of Estates and facilities

2022 pledge - To “upgrade the fabric of my home including windows, doors and insulation. I will take greater care around when the heating and hot water is on, reducing the run time wherever possible”.

2023 reflection – “We replaced our windows and doors earlier in the year, and upgraded our insulation in the last couple of weeks. We’ve also tried to have the thermostat at a lower temperature than last year. It’s not particularly cold outside yet so it’s a bit early to know whether these measures have been successful but my gut feeling is that our consumption has gone down.”

Martha Knott, Assistant Sustainability Manager & Engagement Officer

2022 pledge – “I will check windows in offices and meeting rooms are closed at the end of the day”

2023 reflection- “Once I made a habit of turning off lights, screens and thermostats and closing windows at the end of meetings, it’s become second nature! People also notice when you do it, and it sends a message.”

Not only is energy the focus of our Seize the Switch campaign, but it’s this November’s Green Impact theme of the month! Green Impact is our staff sustainability action and awards programme for Schools, departments, and teams across the University.

For the monthly theme of energy, staff were encouraged to focus on the 21 energy saving actions in the toolkit, such as auditing campus building energy use, and identifying energy-saving opportunities at work.

Visit the Save Energy webpage to find more ways to save energy and reduce our carbon footprint.

See what the University is doing to combat the climate crisis through our Sustainability Strategy.

Further information: https://www.instagram.com/p/C0T0SVOt5PU/?img_index=1

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