Between October 2022 and April 2023, the University must submit a report every month stating the amount of electricity used, in kWh, over the preceding month and the measures taken to save electricity.

The Swedish Energy Agency must report this to the Government Offices by 31 May 2023. The final report must include an account of how much each authority has reduced their electricity usage during the implementation of the assignment.

LU Estates have been given the task of reporting to the Swedish Energy Agency on behalf of the University. LU Estates will produce energy-use statistics, and report both statistics and measures taken to the Swedish Energy Agency on the fifteenth of each month, up to and including April 2023.

Each organisation within the University must examine their energy consumption and identify possible energy-saving measures with regard to their own circumstances.

The assignment covers all energy use, not only the use of electricity. It also includes attempts to shift the use of electricity to times when society’s need for electricity is at its lowest.

All reductions in our electricity use also reduce the risk that the Swedish Energy Agency will need to use planned outages that may affect our operations and, not least, essential services.

Each organisation is to report their energy savings to LU Estates. Faculties management may choose to coordinate their reporting if they wish.

Report to LU Estates no later than 30 November, by emailing answers to the questions below to: sparaenergi [at] bygg [dot] lu [dot] se. We will request further reports by 31 January and 31 March.

Explain:

• What measures you took prior to September 2022 to reduce your energy use (not only electricity use)
• What measures you have taken since September 2022 to reduce your energy use (not only electricity use)
• What measures you took prior to September 2022 to reduce or retime your peak demand
• What measures you have taken since September 2022 to reduce or retime your peak demand

You are to report measures for each building and organisation – i.e. state which building or organisation each measure applies to. 
Keep your answers brief. If you have any questions, please contact sparaenergi [at] bygg [dot] lu [dot] se.

Example: Report energy-saving measures (PDF, 265 kB, ny flik, in Swedish)

The reporting of measures taken earlier is to apply to recent years. The most important consideration is to describe things that are connected to, or have an effect on, measures that are to be implemented. For example, if energy-saving measures are underway or have recently been implemented. 

General energy-saving measures such as changes to lighting, ventilation, the installation of solar panels etc. that were carried out by our property owners prior to September 2022 will be collated and reported by LU Estates.
 

1. Each organisation, head of department/equivalent, can nominate an employee to work on energy saving in the six months ahead, an “energy coordinator.”
2. When several organisations are located in the same building, the heads of department/equivalents can nominate a suitable group of people who can work on energy-saving measures relating to the building in the six months ahead, an “energy group.” One suggestion would be that building supervisors/managers or equivalents and the “energy coordinator” for each organisation are included in the “energy group.”
3. The work can be divided into identifying measures that can be taken to reduce energy usage that the organisation itself can implement, and those measures that affect the condition of the building itself and require collaboration with the property owner. 
4. Collaborate with your property owner in order to arrive at possible measures that are connected to the building itself. Schedule a start-up meeting with the property owner’s contact persons for the building, i.e. those you normally attend building meetings with, to discuss possible measures. The facilities planning group within LU Estates, fg [at] bygg [dot] lu [dot] se, needs to be involved if these measures necessitate changes to buildings, contracts or similar. 
5. Conduct a simple risk assessment and produce an action plan, which you work on continuously. 
6. If problems with the work environment arise as a result of the measures, document them and feel free to submit an incident report.
7. Seek the advice of the work environment engineers and security coordinators in order to maintain a safe and secure workplace and to minimise the risk of detrimental effects on the work environment.
8. If you need support and guidance, contact LU Estates via sparaenergi [at] bygg [dot] lu [dot] se. We can also answer your questions and participate in meetings.
9. This website will be regularly updated throughout winter 2022/2023, while the energy-saving assignment is ongoing.
    

The assignment concerns savings in the short term in order to rapidly reduce electricity usage. The best measures are, of course, the ones that remain in place – i.e. where we remove unnecessary electricity consumption. We will however be working on the assumption that some of the measures will be temporary, such as reductions in temperature for example. 

• Possible energy-saving measures that you can take, without the need for the property owner’s involvement:
• Switch off and shut down. Start with the simple things. Encourage energy-efficient habits and check to see whether procedures need to be changed.
• For those who work in lab environments – remember to close the fume hood!
• Get equipment serviced so that it is working optimally. For example – defrost freezers.
• Review your common use of equipment in your building or organisation – could you better coordinate the use of fridges and freezers, for example? Stop using the oldest one, perhaps?
• What equipment needs to be on, and when? Weigh up how and when experiments are conducted, in order to optimise operations if possible. The more energy-intensive the organisation, the more difference even small adjustments make.
• Cut back on Christmas lights, both in terms of numbers and timings. LED lighting should be used.
• Do not place furniture in front of radiators.

These are simply general tips and introductory questions to reflect upon. Identifying opportunities for energy saving in your specific organisation is a challenge.

Energy-saving measures are often tied-up with the building the organisation occupies. Collaborate with property owners in order to identify and implement savings that are possible according to the requirements and limitations of the building and the organisation.
 

Depending on the requirements and limitations of the building and the organisation, it may be appropriate to discuss the following measures with the property owner:

Reducing the hours when buildings are lit

• Can lighting be controlled in sections? Can you turn off some lighting for some parts of the day? Can the lighting be dimmed? 
• Is it possible to change the timing controls? Controls that respond to the presence of people? Controls that respond to daylight?
• Make sure that all lighting is switched off when premises are empty.
• Remember that you and your colleagues need good lighting for good ocular ergonomics, use lighting when you need it.

Lowering the temperature indoors

• This applies primarily to those buildings that are heated by heat pumps (electricity), but all energy saving is desirable.
• A reduction of one degree can result in a reduction in energy use of five per cent. Try it out and see how the work environment is affected. Try lowering by another degree if it works well. Revert to the previous settings if the work environment suffers. If you find it cold, try working standing up to get warmer. Varying your working position is always desirable. It is also important to wear warm clothes indoors during winter.
• Can the temperature be further lowered in, for example, a foyer or atrium?

Shifting the use of electricity to times when society’s need for electricity is at its lowest.

• Can we somehow reduce our electricity consumption in the morning and evening? Is there equipment that we can choose not to start at the same time as the rest of the country? 
• Reducing the operating hours of ventilation systems, and lowering flows:
• Review operating hours for ventilation systems. Is it possible to shut down the ventilation system earlier in the evening, and start it later? Is it possible to have less air circulation during the first hour in the morning and the last hour in the evening, when there are normally fewer people in the building? Cooperate with the property owner’s maintenance staff. Revert to the previous settings if the work environment suffers.
• The dimensions of safety ventilation will continue to be determined according to need and risk.

Energy-saving tips from Akademiska Hus

A more comprehensive list of energy-saving measures has been produced by Akademiska Hus, including measures that can be applied to equipped premises such as laboratories, workshops and so on. The list includes figures for the energy use of common research equipment.

Energy-saving tips from Akademiska Hus (PDF, 1 MB, new tab, in Swedish)

Take inspiration from each other and keep trying to find ways to save energy this winter. We will be tasked with saving energy, electricity primarily, for a while yet and all efforts to this end will make a difference. We have collected summaries from all the reports about energy saving measures that have already been undertaken. Measures may apply to one or several organisations, and might have been put in place before the Government’s instructions to save energy were sent out:

• Changed to LED lights and installed motion sensors.
• Reduced lighting hours, lights switched off in certain areas.
• Exterior façade lighting phased out.
• General ventilation reduced at night.
• Computers and screens on automatic power-saving mode.
• Instruments, lab equipment and workshop machinery switched off after use. 
• App-controlled timers installed on certain equipment.
• The temperature in “auxiliary buildings” reduced to 10 degrees Celsius.
• The electricity in workshops shut down completely between 17:00 and 06:00.
• Curtains pulled across greenhouse glazing at night.
• Energy-efficient equipment, machines, appliances, etc. chosen when purchasing.
• Electrical equipment checked regularly.
• Power rating subscription lowered.
• Measures taken in the design of the MicroMAX beamline regarding the dynamic control of ventilation and the use of LED lighting.
• Redundant refrigerating machines scrapped.
• Books printed only on certain days (the printer switched off other days).
• Clearer procedures around switching off lights and equipment.
• The use of standby reviewed across the organisation.
• The importance of saving energy raised at every staff meeting.
• Staff informed about how lighting, ventilation and heating systems work.
• Continued dialogue with the property owner about possible energy-saving measures and efficiency improvements.
• Airflow reduced in general ventilation systems.
• General ventilation systems shut down overnight.
• Ventilation in cleanrooms reduced overnight and at weekends.
• Procedures for pulling down fume hoods, placing draw benches into standby and switching off local exhaust ventilation all strengthened.
• Freezers defrosted.
• Use of information screens reduced and brightness lowered. 
• Portable radiators removed from offices.
• Older low-temperature freezers scrapped and material moved to freezer room.
• Local exhaust ventilation fitted with closable valves.
• Reduced temperature or heating switched off overnight in certain premises.
• Workshop machines programmed during peak electricity use and run during off-peak times.
• Experiments examined for the potential to move the time they run to avoid early morning or at the end of the working day.
• Use of boilers synchronised in order to enable them to be shut down for longer periods.
• Possibilities examined: 1. Warehouse chillers to be switched off for the winter or put in standby mode. 2. Warehouse ventilation to be turned down over the weekend without overly affecting the climactic conditions required to maintain material safety.
• Possibility of shutting down experimental equipment overnight/at the weekend examined. As some equipment needs more electricity when it is started up than when it is kept in low-power mode, a more detailed analysis is needed.
   

Shortcuts to questions:

Our organisation is located in a modern building, where we consider the opportunities for further energy efficiency improvements to be limited. Should we report anyway?

I have noticed that our office building has some lighting on in the evening, when presumably no one is inside – surely the lighting can be timed so that it is not on unnecessarily. Who should I contact about this?

Questions & answers:

Question: Our organisation is located in a modern building, where we consider the opportunities for further energy efficiency improvements to be limited. Should we report anyway?

Answer: Yes, the reporting applies to everyone, but it is to be simple and brief. If you do not have time to identify and implement anything before 30 November 2022, you report that no new measures have been taken. 

Even if you are located in a new building, you can investigate whether there are any energy savings to be found, here are a few suggestions:

• Raise the issue of energy saving at a regular division or departmental meeting.
• Inform/remind colleagues of how the building and its controls work, so that they know how they can be energy efficient.
• Ask colleagues to make suggestions for improvements.
• Investigate whether all computers, desk lamps and the like are shut down and switched off when not in use.
• Carry out a little “energy inspection” looking for possible energy villains.
• Book a meeting or call with the contact person from your property owner and your maintenance staff, to discuss what can be done about lighting controls and perhaps also trialling lower indoor temperatures and reduced ventilation.
• When it comes to temperature and ventilation, you should conduct a simple risk assessment and be aware of whether the work environment is negatively affected. Often, reducing the temperature by one degree is acceptable if the reasons are understood and it is a temporary measure. Naturally, you should revert to previous settings if your capacity to conduct your work is negatively affected.

Question: I have noticed that our office building has some lighting on in the evening, when presumably no one is inside – surely the lighting can be timed so that it is not on unnecessarily? Who should I contact about this?

Answer: As usual, you should contact your line manager with your suggestions, unless you have been informed otherwise. Your manager will take care of your suggestion, or forward it to the right person. Your workplace may have nominated a particular person to deal with these issues throughout the duration of the government assignment. Since your question probably relates to general lighting, you should contact the property owner in order to make any changes.