Between January and June 2022, electricity consumption has increased by 11.96% and water consumption by 28.57%, compared to the first half of 2021. Instead, gas consumption has decreased 0.03%. When interpreting this evolution, it should be borne in mind that the covid-19 pandemic had a major impact on activity in our buildings during the first months of 2021, with less attendance at the buildings by the university community. This year, with the gradual recovery of activity, consumption is being affected upwards.
In the case of electricity, there was an increase in all centres, with the exception of Sports UB (-39.6%) and the CCiTUB building in Solé and Sabarís (-4.1%). The most significant growth in consumption took place at the Faculty of Economics and Business (+34.2%), at the Jeroni Granell building on Gran Via 582 (+30.9%), at the Faculty of Fine Arts (+29.5%), at the Faculties of Philosophy and Geography and History (+28.4%) and at the Faculty of Information and Audiovisual Media (+28.0%).
These buildings coincide with the type of centres where the presence of the university community is most decisive in the level of final consumption. On the other hand, those centres that have a lot of scientific or technological equipment that has to remain active on an almost permanent basis, such as Medicine-Clinic, Bellvitge, Biology or Pharmacy and Food Sciences, limit the increase to between 10 and 15%.
In relation to gas, consumption has remained fairly stable for the UB as a whole (-0.03%), although there are large differences depending on the centre. The most notable reductions were in Sports UB (-69.5%), the Bellvitge Campus (-32.1%), the Baldiri Reixac building (-24.4%), and the Torribera Food Campus (-22.4%). At the other extreme, there were increases at the Faculty of Medicine-Clinic (+44.9%), the Mundet Campus (+40.0%), the Faculty of Law (+24.9%), the Historic and Josep Carner Building in Plaça Universitat (+23.6%), and the Faculty of Economics and Business (+23.5%).
Water consumption increased across the board at all centres, with the exceptions of Sports UB (-49.3%) and the Faculty of Fine Arts (-42.6%). The most significant increases have taken place in those buildings where water consumption is more closely related to the presence of people, and which had seen a sharp reduction in on-site activity in the first half of 2021: Jeroni Granell de Gran Via 582 (where consumption has tripled), the faculties of Philosophy and Geography and History (where consumption has multiplied by 2.5), the Baldiri Reixac building (+127%), and the Mundet Campus (where consumption has doubled).
The evolution of consumption during the second half of the year is likely to be more positive and show a more moderate increase, given that the second half of 2021 will already see face-to-face activity recover to a level similar to that of the first six months of 2022. Likewise, factors such as the increase in temperature above the usual temperature in the summer, or below average in the last few months of the year, can adversely affect energy consumption.