A winter of special challenges lies behind us

The energy crisis hit the University of Bayreuth hard last winter. Due to legal requirements at state and federal level, room temperatures were restricted, appliances were temporarily switched off on instruction and even the hot water in public areas was turned off as far as possible. In short, the issue of saving energy was clearly felt by each and every one of us in our everyday university life. "Of course, it was not nice to implement such things and thus significant restrictions in university operations," says Dr Nicole Kaiser, Provost of the University of Bayreuth. "But it was necessary, not only because of corresponding specifications that had to be implemented, but also and not least to protect the university from a cost explosion. We tried as best we could to take into account the special features of university operations in order to restrict research and teaching as little as possible."

As early as August 2022, the first appeals and announcements were made about the need to save energy due to rising energy prices. At the end of September 2022, the first concrete measures for implementing the strict energy-saving specifications were announced. These included, for example, the specification of a room temperature and restrictions on hot water supply and heating. Further, even stricter measures followed in November, also in view of the energy supply, which at that time was not considered secure for the rest of the winter.

A few months later, an initial assessment can now be made. And it is quite good: "Especially the figures for electricity consumption - i.e. the savings that can be significantly influenced by each individual and are largely independent of weather and climate - clearly show how well the university family worked towards the common goal of saving energy last winter," says Kaiser. "We were able to save about enough electricity to power 330 four-person households for a year." From 26,050 MWh in 2019, consumption at the campus went down to 25,105 MWh. Almost half of the electricity savings came from the implementation of measures between September and December.

The Christmas closure with even more conscious management of the energy supply, for example by switching off all appliances that can be switched off, brought a saving of an additional ten percent compared to previous years - and this despite the fact that the concept of a Christmas closure has been practised at the University of Bayreuth for years. Initial figures for spring 2023 on electricity consumption also show that there could be a trend towards permanent savings.

The University of Bayreuth was also able to save energy in the area of heating and cooling consumption last winter.

From September 2022 to the end of 2022, an average of 15 to 20 per cent heat could be saved each month compared to the Corona years 2020 and 2021. However, these savings, which seem very significant at first glance, are put into perspective because in these two years there were particularly strict regulations on air exchange in teaching and event rooms due to the Corona pandemic and therefore very high energy consumption. Therefore, the figures are difficult to compare.

In November and December 2022, it was possible to save about as much heat as 18 four-person households consume on average per year in comparison with 2019. This corresponds to an average monthly minus of 4.85 per cent in relation to the pre-Corona year 2019. Looking at the year as a whole, however, the annual saving is only 1.7 per cent in comparison to 2020 due to the strong dependence of heat consumption on weather and climate, and even 1 per cent more heat is consumed in comparison to the pre-Corona year 2019.

Savings were also recorded in the area of cooling consumption as a result of the measures taken. In the period from September to December 2022, a total of 420 MWh was saved in cooling consumption. Especially in November and December, very significant savings were recorded compared to previous years. Overall, the 420 MWh correspond to more than 5 per cent of the average total annual cooling consumption. If one compares the annual consumption of the last few years, significant savings can be seen. In relation to the pre-Corona year, the total saving is even more than 13 per cent.

"I know that some of the energy-saving measures during the last winter semester were difficult and affected normal university operations," says Chancellor Dr Nicole Kaiser. "That's why I would also like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to everyone who got involved and actively saved energy. The figures show that every individual contribution makes a difference." Overall, the topic of energy will continue to play a significant role and occupy us in the future. Not only because of the still high energy costs and the future energy supply that is under constant discussion, but also from the point of view of a sustainable and resource-saving use of energy. "Therefore, please remain attentive in the future as far as saving energy together is concerned."

The evaluation of energy consumption and savings has become an ongoing process. However, it is not only about which of the measures can or should be continued. In addition, the energy-related renovation measures are also being continued and - as far as financially possible - expanded, for example through the continuous implementation of the conversion to LED lights in conversion and renovation measures on campus. There are also concrete plans for the future at UBT, says the Chancellor: "For this year and the coming years, we are planning to expand the number of e-charging stations for cars and to install charging stations for bicycles. In addition, there are also plans to further expand photovoltaics on campus. I ask all UBT members to continue to actively participate and contribute to the topic of energy. Suggestions and ideas from the campus family are very welcome."