Electric Heaters, other than those issued by the Estate
Management Section are prohibited for use throughout ALL University
Properties
Restaurant, Food Outlets and bars areas:
As per advertised opening hours.
Library:
As per advertised opening hours.
Student residential accommodation:
First and second term heating optimised to be at working temperature
from 8.00am to midnight, Sunday to Thursday, and 8.00am to 2.00am
Friday and Saturday. The Summer term heating optimised to be at
working temperature from 8.00am to 2.00am seven days per week.
Wivenhoe Park Conference Centre:
Management Committee to agree working temperatures and time periods
required with Conference Centre Manager, having due regard to the
Energy policy objectives.
Summertime Conditions
Except where a process requires controlled conditions, The University
has a non Air conditioning Policy.
Please refer to "
Temperature and Thermal Comfort at Work" which can be found at the
The Health and Safety Advisory
Service (HSAS) . This
gives advise to both staff and Heads of Department/Section/Centre.
See Appendix C for arrangements relating to
the cost of installation, maintenance and running of air conditioning
plant.
[top of page]
Appendix A
Good Housekeeping Practice
Individually, small savings you can make, add up collectively to large
savings in energy. Remember there are over 8,000 people here and
approximately 10% of energy could be saved by thoughtful use of
facilities. This does not mean you have to sit in cold dark offices or
accommodation. When energy is needed use it, however when not required
turn it off or reduce to low level.
The following suggestions are ways to achieve this ideal:
-
Try to plan your day if using a computer. Don't just switch it on
first thing in the morning and off last thing at night, when the
system is perhaps only used for an hour. This is 'avoidable waste'.
- Lighting is another area overlooked and needs your attention. Try
and use natural day light only.
- Doors and windows during the heating season come into the above
category, do not leave them open longer than necessary.
- Water too is an energy source:
- energy is required to process and distribute to taps
- hot water requires heating
- Use water wisely.
Everyone can help by clearing their minds of 'it is not my job/problem
so why should I bother'. It is everyone's problem by virtue of your
actions.
Example: Day-lit stairs and corridor lights found on in full sunshine,
why? probably lack of thought and understanding.
In the last hundred years the gradual build up of carbon dioxide (CO2)
in the atmosphere is in fact caused by human use of fossil fuels. Please
help to limit this process by thinking carefully about your actions. Other
gases we have made use of are all so causing problems in our atmosphere.
If we are not more careful we could find ourselves on the path to
extinction. We may already be on it!!
[top of page]
Appendix B
Thermal Comfort Conditions
The technical definition can be difficult to understand so we will try
to describe it in 'lay person language' with examples.
In most areas of the University we only control one internal climatic
condition, namely air temperature in winter. There are many other factors
which go to make up the sensation of thermal comfort or in our case a
person's feeling of warmth as follows:
- air temperature
- radiant temperature due to the temperature of surrounding surfaces
- air movement
- humidity
- together with personal factors such as clothing and activity
Many attempts have been made to devise indices which combine the above
variables. Dry bulb air temperature (we use this) has long been used as a
convenient measure of warmth, but it can sometimes be misleading. Of the
many indices around the most commonly encountered are equivalent
temperature, effective temperature, globe temperature (the Energy Manager
has one sitting on his desk) and resultant temperature.
Four measurements are required to evaluate the thermal environment:
- Air temperature (which we control in winter).
- Mean radiant temperature (not directly controlled), but is present
from working radiators, sunshine, lights, machines, surface
temperature etc.
- Wet bulb temperature (to determine humidity not directly
controlled).
- Air speed (only controlled where ventilation equipment in use).
From the above it will be apparent the
Estate Management Section will have great
difficulty in satisfying everyone's needs as we only effectively control
one input, (see below 'HOW CAN
YOU HELP').
From various research by Learned Societies a comfort scale has been
devised to indicate a measure of perceived feeling of warmth :-
- Hot
- Warm
- Slightly warm
- Neutral
- Slightly cool
- Cool
- Cold
This scale is used in a voting system analysis to determine a neutral
temperature at which the majority of people feel neither too warm or too
cold.
For sedentary occupations the majority of people will be satisfied in
rooms where the resultant temperature is between 19oC and 23oC when the
air speed is 0.1 metre/second (i.e. normally still air).
Staff can obtain a temperature monitor, from the
Estate
Management Section or by
calling extension 2959.
HOW CAN YOU HELP
Winter Months
- Anticipate weather condition by watching or listening to local
forecasts. This can determine the type of clothing you should wear
that day at work.
- Keep a spare jumper in the office for those 'off days' when you may
feel chilly.
- Make sure all windows and curtains are closed at the end of your
working day.
- If your room is feeling stuffy; renew the air by fully opening a
large window for no longer than 10 minutes and promptly close.
- Do not sit still for long periods, take exercise to warm body
extremities and take hot drinks.
Arrange office furniture so that you can :
- Reach the radiator valve to turn off or on as you require.
- Do not drop clothing or other articles over radiators, this acts
- as an insulation to heat transfer.
- Try to sit where you can feel the radiant heat from the radiator or
sunshine.
To use our heating energy resources effectively requires treading a
very thin line between:
- Lots of complaints
- A few complaints
- And no complaints, with windows thrown open
Co-operation and tolerance is required from the total University
community under this condition, if we are to achieve the main principles
of the energy policy.
[top of page]
Appendix C
Comfort Cooling ( Air Conditioning )
In
general this Institution will not install air conditioning. The supply of
fresh air for oxygen replenishment, dissipation of body odours and high
temperature limitation will be accomplished by natural ventilation. This
will result in high summer time temperatures on approximately 23 working
days per year in some rooms.
Approved portable fans are acceptable for use in very hot weather.
Deviations to the above principle will occur in the following
circumstances:
Ventilation
Mechanical ventilation will be provided to fulfil the following
criteria:
- to provide sufficient air for oxygen replenishment and dissipation
of body odours where this cannot be accomplished by natural
ventilation
- to remove stale, hot or noxious fumes from toilets, cooking
canopies, fume cupboards or the like
Air Conditioning
Full space temperature controls and possibly humidity control will be
provided to fulfil the following criteria:
- Where the combined effects of the heat input from people,
lights and machinery cause the room temperatures to rise more than
5ºC above the ambient temperature.
- Where processes are wholly dependent upon close
temperature control.
- Subject to the Director of Estate Management Section approval and
where Department or Sections are prepared to pay the cost of
installing, maintaining and the electrical consumption over the whole
life of the system.
Air Conditioning Costs
Anyone wishing to have comfort cooling installed will be expected to arrange for the funds to cover
the following works to be transferred to the Estate Management Section Budget before installation work can be
undertaken. The costs are indicative only. Actual costs will be calculated
at the time a request is made.
- Installation costs: Between £75 - £150/m³ of conditioned space. This is an
initial payment only.
- Running Costs: all supplies will be metered and charged for monthly.
- Maintenance Costs: Charged yearly.
Example: consider a small office with a volume of 30 m³ @ £100 m³ to
install.
Approx cost would be:-
- £3000 for installation.
- £250 p.a. for electrical costs
Guidance Note
Building regulations (Part L)
requires extensive energy efficiency improvements to made as part of any
comfort cooling installation. This cost must be allowed for within
your project costs.
Portable Comfort Cooling Units (Portable AC units)
The advice regarding the air conditioning policy also extends to portable
units, unless sanctioned by the Director of Estate Management Section.
Please refer to "
Temperature and Thermal Comfort at Work" which can be found at the
The Health
and Safety Advisory Service (HSAS).
[top of page]
Appendix D
Electric Heaters
Policy regarding electric fires:
The University does not support the acquisition or use of supplementary
heaters, of what ever energy source. Such items can only be provided by
the Estate Management Section in the event of an emergency or mechanical
failure of the heating system or at the discretion of the Director of
Estate Management.
The Section will issue heaters:
- Where
additional heating is needed to provide an acceptable
working temperature that meets legal requirements
(see:
www.essex.ac.uk/ohsas/temperature/default.htm
). In these circumstances a request should be submitted to
the Director of Estate Management by the relevant Head of
Department / Section or their representative.
Information
In recent years the University has been asked to expand its student
population with little expansion of facilities. This has caused the
teaching day to be extended to accommodate the extra student numbers.
