Successful energy saving

For the heating period in winter 2022/23, TU Dortmund University had committed to saving 20 per cent gas. The university achieved this goal between September and April. The reduction of the room temperature to 19°C and the extension of the night setback were particularly important for this savings balance. In some months, electricity savings of around 10 per cent were also achieved. It is thanks to the commitment of all employees that these goals were achieved, because in many places measures could not be controlled centrally, but had to be implemented individually. 

Since a gas shortage was averted during the cold season, the federal energy-saving regulation also expired in mid-April.

Outlook

However, some of the cost-saving measures will continue in the summer semester. On the one hand, the university wants to continue to make a contribution to saving CO2. On the other hand, the measures are also necessary for cost reasons, as market prices for gas and electricity have risen sharply and the price brakes only apply to 70 percent of historical consumption. Compared to the year 2021, there are still significant additional costs. All employees are therefore asked to continue with tried and tested measures and to continue to develop new ideas.

Centrally, the settings on the heating and ventilation system remain unchanged for the time being. As the outside temperatures are now getting warmer, it is foreseeable that heating will only be necessary on a few days. For the new heating period in autumn, the system will then be adjusted to meet the requirements that will then apply. There will still only be cold water at the hand basins and the fountain on Martin-Schmeißer-Platz will only be used on special occasions such as the summer festival. The outdoor lighting on campus, on the other hand, will return to its usual mode, so that the output will only be reduced to a third in the deep of night, not already at dusk. Since it is light for longer in the summer months, much less electricity is now consumed than in winter anyway.   

Energy turnaround

TU Dortmund University has taken the energy crisis as an opportunity to prepare some measures for the energy turnaround. An open-space photovoltaic system is being planned on Campus North, which could cover five per cent of the electricity demand. There are also plans for a wind turbine on the edge of Campus South, which could supply up to 25 per cent of the university's own needs. A planned wood pellet plant could also generate heat through renewable energy in the future.