Energy impact of Hes East expansion
Recent energy trends outlined in the Carbon Manag-ement Implementation Plan have been described by the University as “especially worrying” in the light of the planned Heslington East expansion, which is expected to lead to “higher consumption and costs”.
The Plan states that an “important driver [for greater energy-efficiency] is the expansion of the current campus, the Heslington East project, both in terms of increased expenditure and environmental impact.”
The Plan claims that “sustainability is one of the key design principles in the development of Heslington East. Draft Building Designs Guides have been produced, with specific sustainable targets. One of the project targets…is to achieve carbon neutrality in terms of the overall campus.”
However, Dr. Richard Firn of the University’s Biology department, said of the Heslington East proposal last year: “I have great concern about their interpretation of sustainability, which they take to include potentially environmentally damaging economic factors.” Dr. Firn also claimed that the proposal “is not committing itself to the highest European standards for developing the site.”
The central feature of the proposal is a lake which will occupy 10% of the total footprint, and will involve the pumping of groundwater supplies to maintain adequate levels.
Of this, Firn said: “Creating a system which places extra demand on limited water supplies is hardly indicative of sustainable design.” The University used roughly 406,500 cubic metres of water last year.
The Heslington East proposal commits to providing accommodation to all the 3,700 extra full-time students it aims to attract.
With residential usage currently accounting for 33% of total energy costs, this large-scale increase in the number of University residences may pose problems for energy-reduction schemes
The “business as usual” scenario forecast by the Higher Education Carbon Management Programme shows an increase in carbon emissions of roughly 4,000 tonnes in the year 2009/10 “following the start of the first phase of Heslington East”.
However, the University aims to avert this increase in carbon emissions with a range of energy-reduction measures, outlined in their Carbon Management Implementation Plan.
