South Ken campus shivers as temporary heating system fails to meet demand

Students studying for January exams battled chilly conditions this week as the South Kensington campus’s temporary heating system failed to meet a surge in demand. Many were forced to wear coats at their desks, and some struggled to write and type in the cold. The temporary heating arrangement has been operational for the past few months, as the College transitions to a new boiler system in order to meet its net zero-by-2040 targets.

Imperial says that to address this week’s problems, it is distributing portable heaters and running its heating system ‘around the clock’. 

Not every building has been affected equally, but Felix has heard from students in the Royal School of Mines, Roderick Hill Building, Sir Ernst Chain Building, and the Abdus Salam Library, who are furious at the College’s response.

A departmental representative told Felix that he had heard reports of students ‘physically shivering’ as they prepared for upcoming assessments. ‘This is just unneeded stress for first years already worried about their first exams,’ he said.

Students in the Royal School of Mines complained that they ‘have literally been told to wrap up warm when we’re on campus as a solution’. It ‘is so cold that our teeth are chattering and the labs are too cold for 3D printing people’s MEng projects,’ said Sophie, a Materials student.

Sophie and a peer independently complained that the only portable heater they could see in the building was in a professor’s office. ‘Where are our tuition fees going please?’ she asked.

After a mild start to winter last term, temperatures have plummeted, and in the past week have fallen below zero.

The South Kensington campus is in the midst of replacing its old steam-based heating network, as part of the wider effort to improve energy efficiency and meet netzero targets by 2040.

The temporary boiler network that it has been reliant on for the past few months encounters issues when outdoor temperatures fall below 5°C.

The College says that older buildings are especially vulnerable, and has urged students to report low temperatures to the Customer Services Centre.

Meanwhile at Imperial’s Hammersmith campus, the Commonwealth Building, and Wolfson Education Centre have been closed after a suspected leak caused a water outage.

In an email sent on Tuesday, Chief Operating Officer Robert Kerse thanked staff and students for their ‘patience while we address various heating and water supply issues across campus.

‘Please accept my apologies for the disruption these are causing to your work and studies,’ he said.