Last updated: November 2023.
For review during the current academic year (2024–25).
Background
Our previous policy was pretty simple: our central heating was switched on from 1 October until 1 May each year. We became aware in May 2023 that there was a cold week where the temperature in some rooms dropped below comfortable levels, and indeed it was still quite warm well into October this year. At the same time, we are committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2040, which includes considering how we can reduce our energy usage.
Ultimately, our heating policy needs to find a balance between our community’s physical comfort and our net zero ambitions.
We are also mindful that energy bills are now one of our largest areas of spending for the College, although this has not been a major driver for this review – our energy bills are determined not only by our usage, but also by the price per unit, which can fluctuate for reasons outside our control.
Our policy
The Governing Body approved a new policy, following recent discussions of the General Estates Committee members and the Green Working Group involving student representatives, staff and Fellows:
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Central heating will be supplied to all College rooms from approximately 1 October to 1 May each year.
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Unusual temperature activity will be monitored in September and April and we will adjust the date on which we switch the heating on / off accordingly. Please note that it takes us approximately 3 days to switch on / turn off heating across the College estate.
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Please submit a maintenance ticket if a particular room is too cold or hot.
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Room temperatures will be monitored and consistently falling below 18°C will trigger us to either turn the heating back on or provide an alternative heat source.
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When the heating is on, as far as our controls allow, it is set to between 19°C and 21°C in all areas during the day and a little lower (around 18°C) at night.
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For a trial period, heating will be switched on as a minimum between 07:00–09:30 and between 16:30–22:00 in areas where we can control it in this way.
Responding to feedback
We are committed to keeping in close contact with our community to understand if the new policy is effective in providing a reasonable level of comfort. Adjustments will be made based on feedback and could include, for example, adjusting the main heating times or providing space heaters to exceptionally cold rooms reported using our ticket system.
