Frequently asked questions

As an employee, what will I notice from these measures?

As a major consumer of energy, the UG has a legal obligation to save 2% energy annually, whereby we must save 50% energy by 2050 (compared to the reference year 2019). 

We all have a role and responsibility in saving energy, both in terms of the building (such as technical installations) and in how we use the rooms for teaching and research. As a UG employee, you too can contribute to this! By paying attention to energy consumption in your daily work, you can make a difference. For example, turn off the lights and turn down the heating at the end of the working day. Do you have any ideas or suggestions on how to save energy? Let us know!

As a student, what will I notice from these measures?

We want to use the UG buildings as a ‘living lab’. This means we can test new ideas and measures here. We would like to do this together with you and other students. Your input is important! 

As a student, you too can help save energy. For example, turn off your computer and monitors when you leave your study spot. By taking energy consumption into account in your own behaviour, you are already making a difference.

How can I help?

Are you leaving your work or study place at the end of the day? Then please turn off your computer, monitors and the lights. Also don't forget to turn down the heating. By paying attention to this in your own behaviour, you can already make a real difference in energy consumption!

What is the link between the Energy & Sustainability Programme and the Green Office?

The Energy & Sustainability Programme is working on making the UG buildings more sustainable. This ties in with the goals of the Green Office, which is working towards the UG's broad sustainability goals.

The Programma team works closely with the Green Office on this. Together, we are developing the Energy Management System and organize activities to reduce energy consumption and CO₂ emissions. Together, we are making the UG increasingly sustainable!

What is an Energy Management System?

The UG uses a lot of energy for its tasks and operations. So we have a duty to save energy structurally, both by law and in terms of our responsibility to the environment. We want to achieve this with an Energy Management System (EMS).

An EMS helps us monitor energy consumption from start to finish. This allows us to see where we are saving energy, set targets, make action plans and keep improving.

We are now working hard to develop the EMS. We will launch the system in early 2025, focusing first on the biggest energy consumers within the UG.

Where is the greatest potential for realizing savings in energy consumption?

The greatest opportunities for saving energy lie in four key areas. By working smartly and effectively on these, we can save a lot of energy and costs:

1. Making existing buildings more sustainable: we are currently developing energy transition proposals for 74 buildings. This means that tailor-made advice will be drawn up for each building to implement sustainability measures. The buildings will then be made more sustainable in phases over, say, the next 10 years. Sustainable energy generation is obviously part of this. We are already in the process of implementing the Approved Measures List (AML) in phases for about 36 properties. The AML lists energy-saving measures with a payback period of 5 years or less. The AML consists of 3 parts: buildings, facilities and processes. With the AML, the UG can comply with the energy-saving obligation. 

2. Optimization of technical installations: it turned out that there is still a lot to be gained by optimizing the technical installations. Good results were achieved this year and last year, leading to a considerable reduction in energy consumption and substantial cost savings. In 2025, this approach will be rolled out in phases across the Real Estate portfolio.

3. Use-related energy consumption: as indicated above, there are still many gains to be made in reducing use-related energy consumption. In cooperation with faculties and services, plans will be developed and measures implemented for this in 2025.

4. Property optimization: efficient usage of our square meters is one of the spearheads for 2025. A specific programme was started here from VGO. Together with the Smart buildings programme, this should provide valuable information on utilization and occupancy and the potential to optimize space usage.