Comenius University adopts measures to save energy
Bratislava, 23 September 2022: Comenius University Bratislava adopted a series of energy-saving measures, which should cut its energy use by 10-15 %. The measures were developed by energy experts while taking into consideration adequate conditions for work and study, and should be applied by all faculties and parts of the university.
The buildings of the university have varying maintenance and energy needs due to their different age, and deans were given the discretion to choose which of the recommended savings measures to use. They should consider the usefulness of the measure given the functions of the university as well as the comfort and protection of health of both staff and students. However, it is necessary to reduce energy use by at least 10-15 %.
The measures include, among others, installation of motion sensors for lighting, optimization of light sources, installation of energy-saving luminaries, reduction of indoor temperatures, cutting the number of appliances and elimination of high-consumption appliances. The university will also produce an awareness campaign aimed at staff and students.
During afternoons in the work week and the weekends buildings will be placed in a power-saving mode and remote work will be used more often.
The university is also planning to introduce more technologically demanding solutions, like energy consumption control and regulation systems and intelligent energy metering systems. Plans include the formation of “printer clusters” and installation of water faucet aerators. In the next phase building insulation will be upgraded and technologies which use renewable resources installed.
„At the moment, we are awaiting concrete guarantees as a fulfilment of the public promise given by Prime Minister Eduard Heger regarding the impact of the energy crisis on universities. We hope that Slovak universities will not be forced to take the steps announced by the Slovak Rectors' Conference and suspend tuition on 17 November. It also needs to be reiterated that compensation of high energy prices is just one of the three crucial demands of universities which have to be met in order to ensure their basic functioning. In this situation, we cannot even begin discussing any future development. In parallel, we are implementing a whole series of measures to save energy and reduce consumption." said Rector Marek Števček. "Our highest priority is to maintain the Slovak higher education functional, but the task is not entirely in our hands. Without state assistance the question is when, not if, the Slovak higher education collapses,“ he added.