All Student Vote (Spring 2022)

Sustainable Energy Education

This motion seeks to provide students in on-campus accommodation with mock energy bills to increase awareness of sustainable energy usage.

Sustainable Energy Education

This Union Notes:

1. The University of Warwick currently has over 6600 first year students, living in 14 different halls of residence in campus
2. According to Save the Student, the average student at the University of Warwick spends £29 a month on household bills -  https://www.savethestudent.org/money/student-budgeting/what-do-students-spend-their-money-on.html
3. Cut the Flow is the University of Warwick’s energy and water saving competition. It awards flats that reduce their energy and water consumption the most. Warwick students use on average 153 litres of water per room per day. Students can find out their specific flat energy consumption by contacting sustainability@warwick.ac.uk - https://warwick.ac.uk/sustainability/environment/get_involved/cuttheflow/
4. 40% of UK CO2 emissions come from households - https://www.theccc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/5CB-Infographic-FINAL-.pdf
5. Students in halls of residents are not informed of their energy (heating and electricity) and water usage on a regular basis, nor how much it would cost if there were paying bills.

This Union Believes:

1. Students in halls of residence should be told how much energy they are using monthly and how much their usage would cost if they were paying bills.
2. Being made aware of such information will be especially helpful for first year students as it will better prepare them living in private rented accommodation in the second the third years. Not only will it encourage sustainable energy usage, it will help them make a more informed decision when considering their budget for accommodation.
3. Students participating in the Cut the Flow competition is important, and being informed of their energy usage regularly will help encourage competition and mindfulness.
4. The University should continue to work hard to reach its net 0 carbon goal by 2030

This Union Resolves:

1. Mandate the DDO and E&E Officer to engage with the University Estates/Sustainability team collect data regarding how much energy and water each and every student in halls of residences uses every month. If such information isn’t already collected then we need to look at making this possible.
2. The cost of that monthly energy and water usage should be calculated by comparing it to various energy providers price’s.
3. Each month, every flat block every student should receive an email outlining how much energy and water they used (as well as their total flat usage), and outlining how much that would cost if the student was paying bills.
4. 1st year students should receive mock energy bills every month via email.
5. An appropriate member of staff within the students Union who can take responsibility for the process should be identified, and IT services should look into setting up the email format.