Within our Campus Management Climate Action Policy we have made a commitment that 'The University is committed to the effective management of energy used on the estate, including gas, electricity and heat to reduce the associated carbon emissions produced. To be achieved through energy efficient design, consideration in products and services, energy efficiency projects and the purchase of renewable energy'
Our measures and targets
2018/19 Baseline footprint
8,046,229 kg CO2e
36,484,350 kWh 2022/23
2023/24 most recent completed footprint
6,337,001 kg CO2e
21.24% reduction (10.06% projected)
2030 Target reduction net zero on direct emissions
Reducing our energy use
Within our ISO 14001 environmental management system we monitor and measure our use of Energy across our campuses.
Purchased electricity and heat used on the estate equates to a sizeable proportion of the Scope 2 carbon footprint for Sheffield Hallam. A considerable proportion of the potential savings of the University’s Scope 2 carbon footprint is projected to be achieved through grid decarbonisation over future years (to 2030), the remainder of the potential savings will be achieved through developing a smaller, better utilised and more energy efficient estate, details of which are identified below within the Campus Development section, a commitment to the procurement of 100% green energy by 2030 and through ongoing effective energy management.
It has been identified that to further improve energy reporting and management, building level targets would improve the University’s ability to have an overview of consumption and better targeted energy projects. The University is committed to maintaining university wide energy and carbon reduction, continuing with the downward trajectory achieved in previous years.
Objectives
To achieve these long-term objectives, the following key objective has been set for the 2025/26 year:
Assess building usage, aligned with cyclical requirements, to condense on site activity to reduce energy use and carbon emissions, thus driving efficiency.
Monitoring and reducing Scope 3 emissions
Progress against targets is monitored on an ongoing basis, using a projection tool that predicts the impacts of potential projects. This tool was developed as part of a consultancy project and populated by a master's degree student as part of their studies. You can find out more on our education pages.
The University is also working towards calculating and reporting Scope 3 emissions. See our travel monitoring page for information on how we're reducing our business travel impact.
