SDG #7: Clean, affordable energy

One example among many: the batteries of the future developed in a laboratory at the University of Namur.

Discover all publications related to the sustainable development objective "Clean and affordable energy" on the UNamur research portal.

Corporate initiatives

The mission of UNamur's Campus Management and Infrastructure Service (SIGeC) is based on several energy-related activities:

• the sound management of energy consumption
• building construction, renovation and maintenance

In order to raise awareness throughout the Community as winter approaches, UNamur is launching an internal campaign in December 2022. The aim? Adopt together the right gestures which, when added up across our institution, will have a major impact on our heating, electricity and water consumption. Learn more

Purchasing consumables for labs, departments and administrations

The General Commissary (Economat) is committed to offer a range of products that are more environmentally friendly, or even sustainable. Ecological alternatives are offered mainly for four groups of consumables:

• Office supplies
• Catering
• Paper
  • Reducing paper consumption: setting printers to double-sided by default, phasing out individual printers, printing 2 pages per sheet, sending documents by email rather than internal mail, using scrap paper
  • The use of FSC-certified paper
  • The recycling through selective sorting
  • Presses Universitaires Namuroises(PUN) works with printers which use FSC paper.
• Maintenance products

Construction, renovation and maintenance of buildings

When working on projects, SIGeC is careful to seize opportunities to apply sustainable development to the construction and maintenance of buildings:

• designing a building in line with sustainable development at the time of construction by recommending optimal use of modular spaces
• properly insulating the walls of relatively traditional buildings

A first example: installation of solar panels at the Haugimont Domaine.

Another example: the renovation of the BUMP (the University library), which will be fitted with photovoltaic panels and will reduce energy consumption by 50%.

More info here

Energy consumption

A practice of reporting on energy consumption has been in place at UNamur for a long time. Technical Services carries out a count of electricity, gas and fuel oil consumption by building.
Over the years, several initiatives have been taken to reduce energy consumption through more rational use, of which the following are a few examples.

Electricity

• Management system:
  • Appearance of centralized technical management to remotely control the switching on and off of technical installations
  • Implementation of variable speed drives to allow electric motors to run at variable speeds
  • Implementation of energy load shedding by controlling quarter-hourly peaks to avoid peak loads
  • .hour peaks in order to avoid power consumption peaks
  • Shielding by a generator
  • Concentration of outdoor activities carried out on WE at UNamur within the same building as far as possible
  • Realization of an energy cadastre carried out with the former GDD
• Supply:
  • Collaboration with UCL to obtain an attractive energy supply cost from ENECO, where the energy produced is entirely from renewable sources
  • Installation of photovoltaic panels on the roofs of the Domaine d'Haugimont buildings
  • University annual expenditure of 20.000€ in green certificates
• Appliances:
  • Exclusive choice of class A appliances, sharing of photocopiers and printers by several departments
  • Replacement of infrared remote controls by mains-powered wall-mounted controls thanks to the CaNDLE 2015 project which had the effect, in particular, of avoiding high consumption of electric batteries
• Lighting:
  • Replacement of neon and incandescent spotlights with more energy-efficient lighting
  • Placement of light regulators close to windows according to brightness
  • Installation of absence detectors at the rectorate,
  • LED lighting at Hôtel Orban
• Monitoring of consumption: readings by equipment using the placement of 140 meters

Heating

• Boilers: gas-fired condensing, cogeneration installation
• Insulation: progressive replacement of single glazing with double glazing
• Ventilation: use of variable speed drives, modulation of air flows according to air quality, installation of energy recovery on rejected air
• Regulation:
  • Heating off and on according to room occupancy as indicated in the room reservation system
  • Diminishing set temperatures and time ranges on heating

Carbon footprint

The UNamur has taken the necessary steps to get a carbon footprint, which should be published in 2024.

Learn more about the sustainable campus

Collaborations and partnerships

Conseil Agroalimentaire durable namurois (CADNamurois)

To help define and implement a more environmentally sustainable and socially fair agri-food policy, the City of Namur has set up its Sustainable Agri-Food Council (CADNamurois). The aim of this assembly is to provide a forum for dialogue, reflection and proposals on everything to do with food and agriculture. It brings together key players in the sector, and can also welcome citizens interested in the subject via working groups that will be set up. The University of Namur is part of it. 

More info here