In 2010 the Bloomsbury Colleges spent a total of £5.5 million on energy - gas and electricity bills. When you compare this to the average home it is the equivalent of 2,623 3 bedroomed houses, or a small town.

The rising energy costs which affect you at home will also impact the colleges to increase this amount spent but perhaps more important to note is the rise in actual consumption.

Through the carbon reduction target, the colleges have committed to reducing this figure. They are working to achieve this by adopting Carbon Management Plans detailing projects such as

• Installing sensor lighting in corridors so lights switch off when not in use

• Using PV panels to provide water heating in some sites

• Shutting down all computers out of hours

• Making sure their boilers and air conditioning are appropriate and efficient

If we think about where the colleges use energy, it is clear that we can each play our part in helping to reduce consumption. Simple actions such as turning lights of when you leave a room and not using portable fans or heaters unless you really need to will all add up to make a big difference. Make the best use of natural light and ventilation in your office and try and reduce wasted energy by switching off or unplugging equipment when not in use.

There are lots of tips for what you can do to be more sustainable in little ways.

Fans and heaters can actually interfere with the office heating and cooling systems i.e. A standalone heater can increase the temperature registered on the office sensor meaning that the central office unit trys to cool the room down. Think carefully and logically about what would be best here.