Measures for energy savings in the winter semester 2022/2023
2022-09-22
Dear university members
Dear colleagues, dear professors and lecturers, dear students,
As you have certainly already gathered from the media coverage, the Federal Republic of Germany is intensifying its efforts to save energy in view of the looming energy crisis. Although Leuphana has already been a climate-neutral university since 2014, and we completely converted our energy supply to renewable energies years ago and made our energy use much more efficient, this situation will also have an impact on the operation of our university. Further efforts to save energy are also possible and necessary at our university. In addition, the German government has adopted specific energy conservation targets in a "Regulation to Secure Energy Supply on Measures Effective in the Short Term" that recently went into effect and will initially be in effect until February 28, 2023. In the following, I would like to inform you about the measures we are planning in this context.
1) WINTER SEMESTER IN FULL PRESENCE: First of all, on behalf of all members of the Presidential Board, I would like to assure you that, as things stand today, we will in any case maintain university operations in presence during the winter semester. Our university, like private households and other educational institutions, is one of the so-called "protected customers" when it comes to energy supply. According to the Federal Network Agency, this means that in the event of a further exacerbation of the gas shortage, we will have to forego the "comfort" portion of our energy needs, but the "vital needs" for the operation of the university will be prioritized over other users.
Therefore, until we receive further orders from the federal or state government, we will reliably offer our courses in on-site presence, reliably allow our employees to work in their offices and work spaces, and reliably keep our facilities open that are necessary for research, teaching, study, and transfer. We will certainly have to accept restrictions in detail, but according to the current state of affairs, no fundamental restrictions.
2) MEASURES FOR FURTHER ENERGY SAVINGS: Against this background, our building management has examined and evaluated possibilities for further energy savings at our locations in recent weeks and has already drawn up a comprehensive catalog of measures. Some of these measures can and must be implemented immediately in the coming winter semester in accordance with the regulations currently already in force, while others require further examination or long-term planning.
3) HEATING: All of Leuphana's workrooms will also be heated during the winter semester. However, due to the requirements of the new federal government regulation, we are only allowed to heat office and seminar rooms to 19°C, and other work rooms to 12-18°C, depending on the severity of the activities performed there. Common areas that are not used for occupancy may no longer be heated due to the requirements of the new ordinance. The building management will make appropriate adjustments to the heating system centrally.
We are all aware that the above temperatures are too low for many university members wearing normal clothing. Nevertheless, we are bound by the federal government's regulation. I therefore ask you to prepare accordingly in the coming months by taking personal precautions, should 19 degrees Celsius be too cold for you personally, e.g. by wearing sufficiently warm clothing, bringing blankets or scheduling exercise breaks.
The University will also provide blankets to assist your employees, and you may be able to use them in your offices. Please contact Facilities Management if you need them. In addition, the University Sports Center will be putting together a reader with guidance on warm-up exercise sessions for employees. More information will follow.
4) USE OF INDIVIDUAL HEATERS: Please note that the use of individual heaters (e.g., radiators, heaters/fans, etc.) is not permitted due to the federal government's energy conservation regulation and, if misused in a variety of ways, may also overload the University's local power grids.
5) COMMON OFFICE USE: Please consider working with your departments or teams, if necessary, to consolidate workstations and thus work spaces into offices so that fewer offices need to be heated and fewer spaces need to be energized, e.g., if you are present at different times of the day or on different days.
6) HOME-OFFICE: All Leuphana employees can use mobile work or telecommuting within the framework of existing regulations and permits. However, after extensive consultation between the Presidential Board, Staff Council, deaneries, and department heads, the University will not expand the existing regulations again based on the current status.
7) UNIVERSITY SHUTDOWN BETWEEN CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR: The Presidential Board is currently in consultation with the Staff Council regarding an extended work shutdown between Christmas and New Year's Day. We will provide more detailed information on the resulting arrangements for work hours and work locations once the coordination process is complete.
8) WE ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT: However, all efforts to save energy can only be truly successful if each and every one of you makes sure that energy resources are used carefully, not only at home but also at work. On behalf of the Executive Board, I would like to ask you to make the following simple measures a habit:
a) Please turn off the lights whenever you leave your workplace.
b) Please turn the heating down all the way when you leave for the evening or for longer appointments outside.
c) Please shut down your PC and turn off monitors (no standby operation) at the end of your workday or when you will be absent for a longer period of time.
d) Please use stairs instead of elevators.
e) Please use regular shock ventilation instead of constantly open windows for fresh air supply.
f) Please refer to www.leuphana.de/universitaet/entwicklung/nachhaltig/klimaschutz/energie-spar-tipps for more detailed tips and information on individual ways to save energy in the workplace.
9) FURTHER INFORMATION: For detailed further information, please visit our Sustainable University web pages with questions and answers on how Leuphana is dealing with the energy crisis at www.leuphana.de/universitaet/entwicklung/nachhaltig/fragen-und-antworten-zum-umgang-mit-der-energiekrise.
We are all certainly aware that we will experience restrictions in the coming winter associated with the measures presented and others to be expected. Also, some of the measures, such as the need to keep windows closed as much as possible to save energy, partially contradict the measures to protect against the Corona pandemic, according to which regular ventilation is necessary - hence the request for regular shock ventilation and refraining from continuous ventilation. In this situation, we are all asked to find a good way to deal with this in great confidence in each other.
Finally, I would like to emphasize once again that we are doing everything we can to continue to make the workplaces at Leuphana as pleasant as possible, as well as the study conditions, and to maintain the culture of presence at our university. Let us work together to achieve this goal. Your ideas and suggestions for ways to save energy at our university are also welcome. Feel free to send them to the Sustainability Officer, Irmhild Brüggen (nachhaltigkeit@leuphana.de).
Together with the other members of the Presidential Board, I am confident that we as a university community can and will succeed, as we did in dealing with the Corona pandemic, in finding a good path through this new crisis and in meeting the challenges it presents together, if we continue to take good care of each other with a great deal of trust, understanding of each other's perspectives, and consideration.
With sincere thanks and best regards
Christian Brei
Executive Vice President