Energy footprint in Hei: a decade overview on relevant energy indicators

Abstract

The Millennium Development Goals and the 17 Global Goals for Sustainability Development have been acting as a global and inclusive framework for the implementation of a new and sustainable development model (United Nations, 2015).

Higher Education Institutions (HEI) are a privileged space for the analysis of the necessary conditions for a sustainable future, and can represent a crucial role in providing the theory and practice of sustainability, by reducing their own impacts (UNEP, 2013) and extending their engagement to the activities that support and extend teaching and research: i) the management of campi and operations; ii) campus planning, design, construction and rehabilitation of buildings and infrastructures; iii) purchasing practices; iv) mobility and v) involvement with the community (Leal Filho et al., 2015). But, HEI face important sustainability challenges over resource use, being Energy one of the most significant. This paper focus on the energy consumption, and associated indicators, over a 10-year period, in a HEI in Portugal.

Although literature on sustainable consumption of energy in HEI is not abundant, two studies stand out, Altan (2010) and Lo (2013). Altan (2010) analyse the energy efficiency of several types of interventions (technical, non-technical and management) in UK HEI, while Lo (2013) does a similar study for eight Chinese HEI, stressing the role played by stakeholders, such as administrators, governmental agencies, networks, students and non-governmental organizations.

This paper adds to this literature by enriching benchmark data on: energy consumption in HEI, the efficiency of technical, non-technical and management energy interventions, and by providing evidence of the need for the development of new indicators in a context of continuous and rapid change of future demands for higher education.