In recent summers, heatwaves have put extreme pressure on energy companies' networks, which has limited the access to district cooling in university premises. To prepare for all eventualities, the University has made a list of prioritised premises on Campus Umeå that would be first to get cooling in a period of shortage.
District cooling is needed to create a comfortable indoor climate in university premises on hot days, but it is also a necessity to maintain the correct temperature in data centres. Over the last years, the local energy company Umeå Energi, as well as other energy suppliers around Sweden, have struggled with strained networks for district cooling and their ability to supply customers with cooling has been a challenge. In other words, this is neither an isolated nor local problem. Similar situations may arise again as summers generally become hotter. To approach this problem, Umeå University has drawn up a list of premises that the University would prioritise for district cooling on Campus Umeå.
This means that if there is a shortage on district cooling, the activities and processes that Umeå University deems most sensitive and need cooling the most will be prioritised among university premises. Since activity reduces on Campus Umeå between June and August, it is possible to scale down cooling in unused premises and instead divert the district cooling to prioritised areas. When there is a shortage on district cooling, the following premises will be prioritised. No ranking among prioritised premises has been made.
Premises with special needs for process cooling
Covers large facilities with temperature, heating, humidity or air pressure requirements.
- UCCB Building: the entire building
- MIT Building/University Management Building: data centres
- Biology Building: all labs including walk-in refrigerators and freezers
- KBC Building: all labs including walk-in refrigerators and freezers
Temporary workspaces with comfort cooling
To provide the best possible indoor climate in the case of a summer heatwave, temporary workplaces will be set up in the following locations:
- Humanities Building, level 3, Vardagsrummet: 70 temporary workplaces
- MIT Building, level 3, MIT.C.323, 333 and 343: 19 temporary workplaces
- Natural Sciences Building, level 3, wing A and C: 23 + 12 temporary workplaces.
This prioritisation is valid until further notice.
Do you need more information?
Contact Richard Olsson, Property and Facilities Director at the Property Management Office.