With the participation of students and staff, electricity consumption was reduced by 50% in November, while heating costs were reduced by 20%. The Energy-efficiency Championship has also taught new savings habits, which, based on current calculations, will save almost 10 000 euros from the annual energy budget, says Liga Peiseniece, Rector of the BA School of Business and Finance.

Even though heating has increased by 83% and electricity by 18% compared to 2019, the BA School of Business and Finance has managed to reduce consumption by changing the habits of its students and staff.

“Our priority is the quality of education and the preservation of face-to-face studies, which is why, in the current energy crisis, we organized the championship “Closer! Warmer!  More fun!”, where we combined the reduction of the university’s resource consumption with the involvement of students, academic and administrative staff in the more efficient use of resources,” says Peiseniece.

The championship lasted for a month and was aimed at saving energy and financial resources to be spent more efficiently on the study process. Some of the savings were technical – changing light bulbs, “winterizing ” one building, switching off one elevator, switching off external lighting, and partly remote work for administrative staff.

The most significant savings have been achieved through engagement with students and academic staff, with reminder stickers placed throughout the university to encourage a behavior change – turning off lights and devices, ventilating rooms properly without lowering the room temperature and using stairs instead of elevator.

The November Energy-efficiency Championship savings are calculated by comparing the megawatt-hours (MWh) in November heating bills against a base year. The base year is 2019; this was the last year before the pandemic that the BA School of Business and Finance was fully working. In 2020 and 2021, on the other hand, due to national restrictions, the number of people staying on the premises was minimal as the studies were carried out remotely.

Despite the increase in electricity prices, the new savings habits will save nearly €10,000 from the 2022 energy budget, based on current calculations.

“The savings of less than 10 000 euros will be used by the BA School of Business and Finance, for example, to buy new books for students and for other needs that had to be “cut off” due to the increase in energy prices in this year’s budget,” says the BASBF Rector.

The savings measures will continue – the temperature in the class rooms will not exceed +19 degrees during the heating season. In the administration rooms, the practice of working remotely several days a week will continue. On the days when remote working is taking place, the radiators in the classrooms are turned off, while on Sundays the heat supply is restored so that the rooms are warmed up for Monday.

“It is necessary to continue to save as much as possible by maintaining face-to-face studies because for students contact with lecturers is very important, as well as communication with course mates and practicing public speaking,” says the Rector.

She also hopes that the Ministry of Economics and the Ministry of Finance will find mechanisms to provide more support to public authorities in the energy crisis.

The Rector would like to thank all students, BASBF academic and administrative staff for their active and responsible participation in the Energy-efficiency Championship.

“The results of the championship showed that together we can do great things, and it is especially important this winter,” says Liga Peiseniece.

Here are five useful tips to save energy:

1. Do not use artificial lighting unless necessary.
2. Ensure that lights are switched off in rooms when nobody is in.
3. Take the stairs as often as possible and use the elevator only if you need to go above the 6th floor.
4. Ensure proper ventilation: the window is either fully closed or open for 10 min.
5. When you leave, unplug electrical appliances that are not in use, including printers, kettles, scanners, etc.

BASBF is a state-founded, internationally recognized institution of higher education, which has been in operation for 30 years has been one of the most recognizable business schools in Latvia for years. Currently, it implements a total of 13 accredited professional higher education study programs in business management and finance in educational directions at all study levels in Latvian and English. BASBF has given more than 12,000 graduates to the national economy of Latvia, of which many are managers and industry experts of well-known companies in Latvia and Europe.