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Ways to save energy

As university members, who take responsibility and have an impact within the urban society, we are bound to set a good example in saving energy. Let's leave the comfort zone in which we have settled in recent years, let's sharpen our sense of reality and use the energy crisis to rethink, change course and do something that makes sense in the long term – together, we can set an example in saving energy.

The most important energy-saving tips are also included in our brochure "Energie sparen! Ein Leitfaden für das Büro" (German, PDF). More tips how to save energy at home are available in German.

Conscious heating –  not too warm and don't forget to turn down the heat

Did you know? If you want a room to get warm quickly, it is no use to set the valve to 5. It is always fully open until the temperature corresponding to the thermostat level is reached. Setting it to 5 usually leads to short-term overheating and unnecessary extra consumption.

The best heating setting for this winter: Set the thermostat valve to 2 up to 3, and to 1 up to 2 or "moon" in the evening and on weekends. Here, the temperature should not drop below 16 °C. For longer absences over several days, the position 1 or * should be selected. Even a 1 °C lower room temperature saves approx. 6 % heating energy, even at home! And, of course, turn off the heating when airing the room.

Skillful ventilation – short bursts of ventilation depending on the temperature

Regular ventilation in the workplace is important for air quality. However, the permanent tilting of windows should be avoided and instead an exchange of air should take place through shock ventilation. Beyond the corona measures, airing 3 times a day is sufficient.

Also the temperature difference accelerates the air exchange, so the ventilation times in winter can be significantly shorter, which also reduces energy consumption. Leave the windows open for 2 to 3 minutes in winter, 5 to 10 minutes in the transitional season and 10 to 20 minutes in summer. This works particularly well with cross-ventilation through opposite windows and doors.

Switch off – only switched off devices do not consume energy

Did you know that about 6900 hours per year your devices are not used at work? Even though our devices are becoming more and more efficient, there are also an increasing number of them. Various power supplies are humming away and many devices are in standby mode, even though switching them off and on again doesn't waste much time. Therefore: Always switch off devices when you don't need them – no matter if printer, computer and screen or coffee machine. And if you really only need your computer for a short time, use the "energy saving mode" or "sleep mode".

But even switched-off devices consume electricity. A small power supply with only 1 W standby consumption almost brings it up to 7 kWh of unnecessary consumption per year. A simple modern workstation with a laptop, a docking station and a monitor already consumes 3 to 5 W standby power, even though all devices are switched off. Admittedly, it is often inconvenient not only to switch off everything, but also to disconnect the devices completely from the power supply. But there are now suitable and permissible solutions for central control of your existing power strip: Talk to your caretakers and just switch everything off at the end of the day.

One more thing: Several appliances that are not fully utilized also consume unnecessary electricity. If, for example, two refrigerators are half empty, see if you can't combine the contents and turn one off completely.

Would you like to check at home where energy hogs are slumbering and draining electricity unnoticed? You can lend out energy measuring devices at consumer centers and the city's climate protection service. The sustainability office at Philipps University can also provide them.

Doors closed – keep warm

The open door is a nice gesture, but it causes avoidable additional energy consumption. In summer, with air-conditioned rooms, open doors and windows cause the air-conditioning system to fight against the incoming heat from outside or from non-air-conditioned areas.

Even in the heating season, a closed door is the better choice, because by decree the hallways are not heated in the current situation. Heat would thus be constantly lost. Hence: keep doors closed – a dedicated visit to the neighboring rooms is worth more than a warm hallway.

Optimal lighting – in the room and on the computer screen

Daylight is the best workplace lighting. Have you set up your place so that it is illuminated by daylight and still allows a good view of the monitor? When it comes to overhead lighting, we can often adjust the illuminance in teaching rooms and offices to suit our needs. If possible, use LED lights when available, for example, at desks. Turn off the lights when leaving a room.

And for screens and laptops – just try to find out if you can also get by with a slightly lower screen brightness – this saves energy, as well.

Energy-saving through the winter – dressed warmly with solidarity

Dressed appropriately and with a hot cup of tea, we can easily survive the winter with 20 °C in the office. In Belgium and the Netherlands, there has been a "Warm Sweater Day" for years, a campaign to draw attention to ways of saving energy.

No one should freeze, of course, but the use of additional heaters for higher temperatures is a no-go, and private fan heaters are banned at the university anyway – not only for reasons of energy conservation and sustainability, but also for fire safety reasons.

Therefore: put on your sweater and take responsibility even for rooms that are not your own. Also, turn down the heat when leaving a common room and turn off devices – even if someone else is using the room after you.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)