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