Carbon, Energy and Water
We are committed to reducing our energy emissions by 50% and our total emissions by 50% by 2030.
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What are we doing?
In February 2020, the University’s Executive Board approved an ambitious strategy that will take the University to Net Zero carbon emissions by 2040 for all scopes (1, 2 and 3).
We have set interim targets to 2030 to help us remain on track and have tasked ourselves with reducing absolute carbon emissions by 50 per cent by 2030, and dedicated energy emissions by 50% by 2030.
From there on, we will aim to reduce the remaining 50% of our emissions as much as possible to minimise the level of offsetting we will have to include for those unavoidable emissions.
By 2040, we intend to become a net-zero carbon organisation, where only unavoidable emissions are offset.
For information on how we plan to achieve these targets, download a copy of our latest carbon strategy.
Our carbon impacts
Energy emissions fall under Scopes 1 and 2 of our carbon footprint and currently contribute 17% of our total footprint (July 2022).
The graphic below illustrates which emissions sources fall under each scope:
| Scope | Definition | USW emissions sources | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scope 1 | Direct emissions | Scope 1 emissions are direct greenhouse (GHG) emissions that occur from sources that are controlled or owned by the University (e.g., emissions associated with fuel combustion in boilers and vehicles) | Natural Gas Diesel Oil Fugitive emissions |
| Scope 2 | Indirect emissions | Scope 2 emissions are indirect GHG emissions associated with our purchase of electricity. | Grid electricity |
| Scope 3 | Indirect emissions | Scope 3 emissions are all indirect emissions (not included in scope 2) that occur in the value chain of the reporting company, including both upstream and downstream emissions. | Procurement & Supply Chain Business Travel Staff and Student Commuting Waste disposal Water Fuel and electricity transmission emissions |
Energy and carbon initiatives
Our targets will require action on a number of fronts, such as improving the energy efficiency of our buildings, installing more on-site renewable energy generation and decarbonising our heating systems. Our new buildings and refurbishments will also need to contribute positively to achieving this target. We monitor energy and carbon across the entire University in support of our net zero carbon targets and work collectively to develop a series of initiatives and interventions for improving energy efficiency around the University.
Key initiatives in our roadmap to zero
USW has purchased 100% renewable electricity since 2016/17. Buying renewable electricity helps to stimulate the renewable energy market and it is hoped that this will lead to more renewable energy generation in the future.
We are limited by the amount of renewable energy we can generate across our campuses, however we are making use of solar panels.
Each unit of electricity that we buy is backed by an externally verified Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin (REGO) certificate.
We now have over 1,300 solar panels installed across our sites thanks to an increase in the installed capacity in recent years. This equates to almost 500kWp of state of the art photovoltaic panels installed across our residences, academic and sports buildings.
In order to achieve our 2040 Net Zero targets, we will need to decarbonise our existing gas fired heating systems. This is likely to involve a conversion to electrical forms of heating such as heat pumps which are less carbon intensive. Therefore, we are developing feasibility studies and strategies to systematically phase out our reliance on natural gas as a means for heating and hot water generation over the coming years.
USW benefits from a comprehensive building management system that automates and optimises our heating, ventilation and hot water controls across our buildings aligned to occupancy whilst retaining occupant comfort. We are exploring ways to improve control strategies to save energy, enhance visibility of plant and equipment and investing in an upgrade programme of controllers to improve resilience and reliability.
Our buildings benefit from an extensive utility sub-metering system that provides us with data on how our buildings are performing, whilst also helping us identify leaks, faults and issues with plant operation. The system helps prioritise energy intensive areas for action and enables us to investigate how better building management system control can improve heating, ventilation and air conditioning.
USW is home to a diverse mix of listed buildings to more modern buildings. We are committed to refurbishing our buildings to high sustainability specifications and achieving low carbon buildings.
We are constantly monitoring our estate and looking at the most appropriate options for retrofitting. These decisions include fitting appropriate new technologies to reduce our energy consumption, replacing traditional lighting with LEDs, replacing windows and improving insulation levels to improve comfort and energy performance.
We ensure that sustainability is included throughout all stages of building development as a key priority, from design through to post-occupancy and this includes the integration of all electric heating systems, biodiversity net gain, optimising energy and water efficiency and a wider consideration of environmental impacts. We aim to achieve the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge targets as a minimum for all new capital projects.
The University produces display energy certificates for its buildings each year. You can view the past, and current, operational performance of USW’s buildings by putting the building's postcode into www.gov.uk/find-energy-certificate (for example, Treforest Campus is CF37 1DL). Please note that DECs are only produced for university buildings with over 250m2 of internal floor area.
To view the DECs for our student accommodation blocks on our Treforest Campus, click on the relevant links below.
DEC Accommodation Glamorgan Court Block A
DEC Accommodation Glamorgan Court Block B
DEC Accommodation Glamorgan Court Block C
DEC Accommodation Glamorgan Court Block D
DEC Accommodation Glamorgan Court Block E
DEC Accommodation Glamorgan Court Block F
DEC Accommodation Glamorgan Court Block G
DEC Accommodation Glamorgan Court Block H
DEC Accommodation Glamorgan Court Block J
DEC Accommodation Glamorgan Court Block K
DEC Accommodation Glamorgan Court Block L
DEC Accommodation Glamorgan Court Block M
DEC Accommodation Glamorgan Court Block N
DEC Accommodation Glamorgan Court Block P
DEC Accommodation Glamorgan Court Block R
DEC Accommodation Glamorgan Court Block S
DEC Accommodation Glamorgan Court Block T
DEC Accommodation Glamorgan Court Block V
Collectively, we all have an important role to play in reducing our consumption of energy and to help encourage sustainable behaviour change, we have invested in Turn USW Green, an app to encourage staff to use energy more efficiently at home and at work.
If we all carry out the simple actions listed here, we will not only help tackle climate change by reducing our carbon dioxide emissions but also make financial savings. Remember – most of these tips work just as well at home as they do at work, so you can save yourself some money as well.
USW has a dedicated sustainability budget each year to invest in energy efficiency and other initiatives. We have invested in many projects that have reduced both our energy consumption and carbon emissions across our buildings and campuses. These include the replacement of inefficient lighting systems with LED fittings funded through a SALIX loan which now covers around 85% of our estate, the installation of new efficient gas boilers, and improved building management system controls among others.
We also carry out building energy audits across our sites which helps identify new initiatives and projects for energy conservation and are consistently exploring new and innovative ways to deploy technologies and implement improvement measures that provide a healthy return on investment.
Water scarcity is becoming increasingly common across the world and conservation of this natural resource is paramount in terms of protecting the environment and reducing costs. We've reduced water use by 21% since 2018-19 by targeting leaks and introducing water efficient equipment and technologies across our sites. Our metering platform is integral to providing monitoring and mapping of water consumption in our buildings, meaning we can target problem areas. We also receive profile alerts which highlight when water use changes from expected levels due to leaks or a change in use.
We have a large rainwater harvesting tank in our Sports Park campus which collects rainwater that can be used for the flushing of toilets which prevents potable water from the mains being consumed. We are reviewing the feasibility for reinstating this facility to reduce our demand on local water infrastructure and our water related carbon.
As part of our commitment to reducing single use plastic bottles, free drinking water fountains are available across USW. Please remember to carry a re-usable water bottle with you to help reduce the generation of single-use plastic waste.
Our progress on reducing water use is reported to the Sustainability Committee, and annually to the Executive Board. These groups contain representation from across the University’s senior management team and include student representation from the Students' Union.
USW’s work on reducing energy and water consumption supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:
Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitisation
Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Goal 13: Climate Action
Have an idea to save energy or water?
If you are aware of energy or water wastage across our campuses or ways we could save energy, please get in touch. We may have funding available to convert your idea into action!
Contact the Sustainability Team