[Seriously?] Buildings to close more often to save energy

After the successful closure of various buildings on campus during the Christmas period to save energy, WUR is considering closing buildings more often. ‘The more often we close them, the less energy we use.’

In a pilot project, next month teaching buildings Orion, Forum and Leeuwenborch will be open only four hours a day. ‘Between 11:00 and 15:00 hrs to be precise,’ says campus manager Glenda Close. ‘That’s when students like to congregate on campus, we found in a questionnaire we sent round. Lots of students would prefer a lie-in with a gentle start to the day and then wander into a lecture around 11:00 with a cup of coffee. By 15:00 they’re tired and want to relax or play sports. If we key into our students’ wishes, we will no longer have to turn the heating up from dawn to dusk.’

During the pilot, teachers will be asked to get through their lectures twice as fast. ‘There is less time per lecture, so they will need to up the pace,’ explains Close. ‘I know that might sound challenging, but YouTube has some good tutorials on talking fast. If students record the lecture, they can replay it and listen to it at home at half speed. I don’t see the problem.’

Other campus buildings will also have reduced opening hours during the pilot. Close: ‘Atlas is busy on Tuesdays but there’s hardly anyone there the rest of the week. So you are better off closing it completely on the other days; then you don’t need to waste any energy.’

With these energy saving measures, WUR hopes to set the right example in the energy crisis. ‘We all need to do our bit,’ says Close. ‘This is the contribution we can make as a university.’

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