Video from Coventry University - carbon reduction winner

Coventry University

The Carbon Challenge

The Carbon Challenge scheme at Coventry University is an inter-faculty energy competition with eagerly anticipated monthly reports, quarterly league tables and prizes.

Initially created as a way of meeting corporate carbon reduction targets, the scheme has empowered students and staff across the University to take responsibility for their own electrical consumption and thereby saved over 2,000,000kWh, £213,000 and 1100 tonnes of carbon in two years.

Coventry University has created a prestige around reducing consumption and raised the profile of carbon on campus. The number of staff now reporting ideas or examples of wasted energy has increased dramatically as they identify with one particular building and want to see its performance improve. 

Motivating energy reduction by inter-departmental competition has relevance to any higher education establishment or business with more than one department or building where energy use can be accurately measured and apportioned. The scheme has no cost as prizes are distributed from energy savings, and administration costs are more than offset by the dramatic savings obtained.