It’s no different during the Christmas closure period either; each year, the University uses around £80,000 worth of electricity, equalling to about £8,000 per day.

Our Facilities Management teams will be working hard to ensure that we can save as much energy as possible during this time, but those who are still working on campus (either regularly or occasionally) can have an impact too.

Before you leave the office for your Christmas break, be sure to:

• Shut down your PCs, and unplug any laptops, docking stations and phone chargers
• Switch off monitors (it’s worth checking your colleagues’ monitors too!)
• Turn off standalone printers and scanners (excluding MFDs – these must remain switched on to prevent them from losing their settings, but they are able to power down on their own)
• Make sure no lights are left on (including Christmas lights!)
• Switch off any heaters, air con units and extract fans
• Turn off any research equipment that doesn’t need to stay on over the closure period
• Set any timers on lights and equipment
• Close windows and blinds to maintain temperatures and increase security.

Some of these tips may even prove to be a useful reminder for your home office too. Remember, DO NOT switch off any equipment that is in use for vital experiments, research or local fridges and freezers.

And most importantly, remember to take a break for yourself and switch off from work over the Christmas break. This year has been a very different and challenging year for us all, and for many, the Christmas period will be no exception to this.

Finally, if you’re planning to return to your work office after the Christmas break, you might find it’s a little cooler than normal so please remember to bring a warm jumper. The University’s Sustainability Manager Jo Shields wrote a blog post earlier this year with more information on the different types of fabrics that can keep you warm and cosy – you can read it here.