When will I see change?

The Project is planned to take a decade. Some actions will be immediately obvious such as changes to lighting, improved space management and the emergence of electric vehicles. Other changes will not be immediately perceptible such as passive measures that reduce heat load whilst procurement decisions may not be visible.

A decade may seem like a long time but it is necessary both to treat uncertainties and make significant changes to infrastructure in an economically viable way.  There are a number of variables including energy economics, technology supply, asset end-of-life decisions, changes to our campus demands, building use and government policy.

What will it mean to me?

Large scale change can be challenging and to succeed will require support and input from staff and students. There are many benefits including lowered operating costs, improved working environments and smarter systems. These will take time and some inconvenience.

Our 2030 Clean Energy Strategy will see better performance delivered across our built environment including improved thermal comfort, better lighting and an improvement to space utilisation. Some buildings deemed unsuitable for replacement will disappear as new ones emerge or others get repurposed. Timetabling changes will see less empty classrooms and theatres whilst timers and switches will enable better control of systems. Shared resources will be more common. For those that drive, the arrival of safer, more efficient fleet vehicles will be a benefit.

How can I be involved?

Delivered under the Our Communities component Item 6.1 of the University Strategy, the Corporate Service Group will be the lead business unit responsible for implementation.

Governance structures have been set up with representatives from staff, industry experts and government participating with these panels reporting to a Steering Committee. Experts and consultants will be on campus over the next few years assisting with planning and helping to implement the changes necessary.

To make a difference, each of us is invited to be better at managing our shared environment by improving space usage, turning off non critical devices, reducing heat and cooling loads and managing down waste.

This Project will be one of several which will continue to improve Charles Sturt’s campus whilst adding value to communities.

Updates and further information is available from a dedicated webpage so please feel free to reach out to your Campus Environment Committee or Corporate Service Group if you’d like to know more or make suggestions of how we can improve.