go! Switch Off

What is 'go! Switch Off'?

Wherever you live, work, or study, you can take part in activities to help save energy and to save water. 

Even the smallest actions add up to big impacts. 

We’re facing a climate emergency and we want to slash the university’s carbon emissions by 63% by 2030.​

We’re already doing a lot but we need the help of everyone to meet our ambition.  75% of all the electricity used on campus is controlled by individuals!

The power is in your hands so, go! Switch Off!

What you can do

These are the actions where we can making the biggest carbon savings.

• Switch off all electronics and lights when you leave a room or when it’s no longer needed.
  • If all lights on our UK campuses were left on overnight, it would create around 15 tonnes of CO2 in a single evening!
• Layer up instead of turning the heating up.
• Don't waste it - only use what you need. Whether that's unplugging your devices when they've finished charging or turning taps off when you wash your hands and brush your teeth.

• Take shorter showers
  • Every minute you spend in a power shower uses up to 17 litres of water.
• Air dry laundry instead of using the tumble drier. 
  • Tumble drying washing in halls of residence accounts for around 300 t CO2 each year.

Seasonal Switch Off

Each year we ask everyone to turn off all non-essential equipment before leaving for Christmas, Easter and the summer holidays.

Help us to save energy whilst the university is closed by thinking carefully about which equipment has to stay on, and switching off everything else.

Together with your colleagues, use our checklists to switch off your office, department or lab before leaving.

Switch Off checklist

Lab walkaround checklist

Living in halls on campus?

The go! Switch Off halls competition 2021 supports and encourages students to save energy and water, as well as to recycle better.

All catered halls on campus, as well as Melton hall, are automatically taking part in the competition. This is running over two weeks between 22 November to 5 December 2021.

The hall that saves the most energy and separates the most waste for recycling also wins a £500 prize for the hall!
So, go! Switch Off.

• Save energy & recycle as much as you can, we’ll be sharing tips and checklists to help you do this.
• Tell your friends about the competition and be on the lookout on our social media pages for ways you can go greener and help your hall win!