Energy inefficiency is off the scale in the Edward Boyle Library, creating CO2 emissions in a year equivalent to around 3,400 return flights to Australia.

The current Display Energy Certificates on show in the Library foyer rate the building from A-G, with G being the least energy efficient.

Typical energy efficiency is rated as 100 but The Edward Boyle Library is 1, 358.

A spokesperson from the Uni- versity said: “Energy consumption for the Edward Boyle Library was calculated as pro-rata percentage of the whole campus consumption.”

They added : “Since 2010/11, Estates have funded a programme of work to provide building level metering. This will help the Sustainability team and the network of dedicated volunteers such as our Environmental Co-ordinators and Green Teams to reduce energy consumption.” The charts measuring Carbon Dioxide emissions show that in 2011, the emissions were almost 12,290 tonnes for the year compared to less than 2,000 the previous year. These were mainly a result of the amount of electricity used.

The most recent figures for Annual Energy Use currently show that the Edward Boyle Library uses 1935kWh/M2/year compared to 70 for a typical building’s energy usage.

Maddy Keating

Photo: Giovanni Da Costa