Temperature Adjustments in Facilities

This has been done for some years now, both in Ultuna and Alnarp. For Christmas 2025, several office spaces in Alnarp will also be included.

– This work is part of our sustainability efforts and our shared environmental objectives with Akademiska Hus, says Kalle Mälson, Head of Environment at SLU. Of course, it needs to be done in a way that works for the operations, but the ambition is to reduce energy consumption in spaces where no people are present or where no activities take place during the holiday period.

What is being done, when, and why?

The purpose of winter optimisation is to reduce the energy supplied by installations when demand is low due to absence. This results in energy savings and a reduced climate footprint.

Ultuna: December 20 to January 6.

Alnarp: Evening December 23 to January 6.

What does this mean for those of us working in the buildings?

In areas where activities continue — such as animal facilities and laboratories —no adjustments will be made. However, in spaces without occupancy, optimisation will be carried out, for example by adjusting ventilation operating hours.

Energy-saving measures of this kind were carried out in SLU’s facilities in Ultuna and Alnarp during the 2023 and 2024 Christmas holidays, and no incident reports were submitted, which is considered a positive response.

“We also saw that the 2023 winter optimisation resulted in electricity savings of 7 MWh, equivalent to the annual electricity use of about three apartments. Akademiska Hus has implemented similar measures at other universities, and experience shows that no differences have been noticed,” says Vivianne Tapia, Energy Engineer at Akademiska Hus.

Affected buildings and “hotspots” in Alnarp

In Alnarp, this year’s winter optimisation is expected to save approximately 58 MWh of energy. This corresponds to running a house with a heat pump for about seven years, driving an electric car for about 270,000 kilometres, cooking 560,000 portions of noodles – or, if you prefer, producing 290 Billy bookcases.

For those who plan to work or spend time on the Alnarp campus during these weeks, there will of course be warmer places available. You are warmly welcome to work in the Library, LAPF, or in parts of the Castle (Slottet), all of which serve as so-called hotspots where the indoor temperature will remain unchanged.

Some buildings will not be included in the temperature reduction, either because they contain research or technical equipment that requires stable temperatures, or due to specific operational needs. These buildings are:

• LAPF (hotspot for employees)
• The Castle (hotspot for employees)
• Biblioteket (hotspot for students & employees)
• Museum Hovbeslagarskolan
• Horticum
• Vegetum 

What can you do as an employee to help reduce energy use?

Make sure to turn off screens and lights when you leave, and if you have a room thermostat, set it as low as possible.

Report to the IA-system at SLU and customer service at Akademiska hus

If the winter optimisation affects your work environment or activities in any way, contact the customer service at Akademiska hus:
Phone number to the customer service at Akademiska hus: 010 - 557 24 24
Mail to the customer service at Akademiska hus: info@akademiskahus.se

And please submit a report to our IA system at SLU. You can easily access the IA system through the link here. When submitting, report it as an improvement proposal.