If current predictions are to be believed, Freie Universität Berlin will be faced with a huge increase in energy costs in 2023. This follows the average twenty-five percent increase in energy costs which already occurred in 2022. As things stand, it is possible that energy costs may even double in the coming year. However, the changes made to individual rates will undoubtedly vary depending on the energy source.

Looking to 2023, it is probable that natural gas will see the highest price increases – despite the fact that gas markets are relatively relaxed at the moment. As the university sources approximately a third of its heating from natural gas and approximately two thirds from district heating (that, in turn, is generated in combined heat and power plants powered by natural gas), we will also see these price developments reflected in the university’s energy costs.

However, we cannot yet provide an exact estimate of the extent to which prices will rise. The federal state of Berlin is currently in the process of re-evaluating its energy procurement across multiple suppliers – as a public higher education institution in Berlin, Freie Universität belongs to the state of Berlin’s energy procurement pool. The official energy management office (Energiewirtschaftsstelle) for Berlin informs the city’s universities of the rates for the upcoming year in December.

As electricity costs have accounted for almost two thirds of all energy costs at Freie Universität in the past, the increase in electricity costs will likely have a large impact on Freie Universität’s energy costs as a whole.

In the short term, Freie Universität is limited in its capacity to replace natural gas and district heating with other energy sources. Currently, the university has four cogeneration plants. As these generate heat and electricity at the same time, they make very efficient use of the natural gas that we do source. In Berlin as a whole, district heating is primarily generated through combined heat and power plants and is thus very efficient.

In the mid- to long-term, making the switch to renewable energies is the best option if we wish to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels. This is something Freie Universität is committing to, which is why we are swiftly organizing the construction of more solar systems on campus. However, natural gas and district heating remain the most available and most efficient sources of heating to date. With regard to electricity, Freie Universität has been sourcing 100% of its electricity from renewable sources since 2010. This was part of a decision made by the Berlin House of Representatives.

Currently, Freie Universität is also evaluating the feasibility of a project that would establish a system for re-using organic waste (e.g., hedge and tree cuttings, dung). This would generate vegetable carbon while also enabling the heat required for the carbonization process to be used as room heating. This technique is considered a “negative emissions technology.” By implementing projects such as these, Freie Universität is taking steps toward achieving its aim of becoming climate neutral by 2025. Unfortunately, this project will not be able to be implemented this winter or in the winter of 2023/2024.

Yes, the university introduced a comprehensive energy monitoring scheme in 2001. This means that we have access to two decades’ worth of data on the electricity and heating consumed in individual buildings.

In 2017, Freie Universität began monitoring its energy consumption online, collecting data from almost all buildings on campus. As such, any deviations or abnormalities in energy consumption can be recognized very quickly, and counter-measures introduced.

The most important figures regarding our energy consumption can be found in our sustainability reports, which are published every two years, and our environmental declarations (Umwelterklärungen, currently only available in German), which are published annually.

Freie Universität’s energy management system is heavily based on the data we have collected and continue to collect on our energy consumption. We have been monitoring how energy is consumed in almost all buildings on campus for many years now. Furthermore, the university introduced a monetary incentive scheme to encourage departments to reduce their energy consumption.

However, in order to be effective, energy-saving measures should take technology, organization, and behavior into account as factors that influence one another. Ensuring that the technology on hand is efficient, for example, by modernizing and regularly maintaining heating and ventilation systems, is, of course, very important. On the other hand, university members can also make a difference through their behavior. For example, employees can help reduce energy consumption by only heating rooms when necessary and turning down the thermostat before leaving work for the day.

Due to their energy-intensive equipment (laboratories, vents, greenhouses, phytochambers, autoclaves, etc.), the natural sciences have a considerably higher demand for energy than the social sciences, humanities, or administrative buildings. While, depending on their age and condition, the administrative buildings consume 30‒120 kWh per square meter annually, most of the buildings occupied by the natural sciences consume between 140 kWh and 300 kWh per square meter on an annual basis. Some consume even more than this.

However, the amount of energy consumed says little about what potential actually exists for saving energy in these areas. This is something that depends on a number of factors, for example, the condition of the building, the ability we have to regulate these facilities, or the potential that organizational and behavioral changes could have on consumption. Generally, detailed analyses of each building are required in order to identify and develop potential steps for saving energy.

Yes. The use of electricity and heating is already carefully monitored in buildings across campus. We also have data on how energy consumption across the university has changed over the years. This means that energy-saving measures being taken now will quickly become evident in the data, allowing individual buildings and the university as a whole to identify progress and evaluate the effectiveness of these measures.

We know a great deal about how electricity is consumed at Freie Universität. For example, since the beginning of the semester, the weekday electricity load of the institute buildings on our main campus in Dahlem can be summarized as follows: from 6:00 a.m. onwards, the power load increases considerably, reaching a peak of 4.7 to 5.3 megawatts (MW) around midday. After 4:00 p.m., consumption decreases dramatically to a base load of around 2.5 to 2.7 MW, which remains more or less unchanged – albeit slightly reduced – even over the weekend. This means that more than half of the electricity consumed by the university is consumed around the clock.

This purportedly high base load can be accounted for by the continuous IT operations that need to be run in our data centers, security lighting, heating pumps, and the basic ventilation required in laboratories and hazardous materials storage units. However, this high base load is also a sign that more equipment may be running than is actually required. This is why it is especially important that office and lab equipment are always switched off at the end of the working day and over the weekend – and not just left on stand-by.

Freie Universität has set itself the goal of reducing its electricity and heating consumption by 10% in the 2022/2023 winter semester in comparison to last year.

A key aim of this energy-saving program is to enable the 2022/2023 winter semester to take place in person. After two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, Freie Universität wishes to become a place for social interaction and exchange once again.

Freie Universität’s energy-saving measures are based on the understanding that energy efficiency and energy conservation are a shared responsibility. Success is almost always due to a combination of technical, organizational, and behavioral improvements. All three of these aspects are reflected in Freie Universität’s strategy.

A key part of our strategy for conserving energy requires that members of Freie Universität regularly inform themselves on the subject and continue to be a part of the discussion in terms of the many opportunities we have for action. As a university community, we are not completely helpless. On the contrary – we can all do our part.

Freie Universität’s strategy for conserving energy encompasses five main areas:

Dialogue and transparency regarding energy consumption (to address potential organizational measures for saving energy)

• Talks and on-site visits with departments and administrative units in order to discuss the core aspects of energy consumption, the possibilities for saving energy when organizing research, the needs-based use of lab and office equipment, and to encourage the appropriate use of thermostats
• Informational events within individual departments, workshops for university members at the Center for Continuing Education, etc.
• Project website with background information, FAQs, recommended actions, communication through social media channels
• Prompts – i.e., displays shown on screens within the Freie Universität computer network; emails and posters with tips and tricks for saving energy
• Communicating examples of good practice
• Transparency regarding energy consumption in the larger university buildings

Implementing the guidelines set out by the federal government and the state of Berlin

• Reducing flow and target temperatures of heating and ventilation systems / Implementing the guidelines set out by the federal government and the Berlin Senate with a target temperature of 19°C in offices, seminar rooms, and lecture halls

• The temperatures in stairways and hallways must be reduced to a minimum.

On-site energy checks at the university (coordinated with the individual departments)

• Efficiency analyses: evaluating and adjusting heating and ventilation regulations, as well as providing suggestions for reducing the run times of room ventilation systems
• Minimizing the periods for which outdoor lighting remains switched on
• Identifying low-investment potential areas for saving additional energy (e.g., the use of thermostatic valves, installing buttons for ventilation systems requiring them to be turned on manually rather than automatically, presence detectors for lighting, switching to LED lighting)

Green IT

• Needs-based IT usage (phones, access points), power management, data management

Modernization program

• Replacing inefficient electrical appliances (including refrigerators and freezers)

The Unit for Sustainability and Energy Management will be updating this website regularly over the upcoming months to provide information on the university’s electricity and heating consumption.

The working group is primarily tasked with developing and implementing a communication strategy and program of measures to be taken to conserve energy, as well as creating a contingency plan in the unlikely event that we are met with an energy shortage in winter 2022/2023.

The working group comprises the office currently responsible for the provost’s duties, the Engineering and Utilities Division, the Personnel Division, the Unit for Sustainability and Energy Management, the Office of Communication and Marketing, the Occupational Safety Service, staff representatives, and administrative offices across several departments. The energy saving strategy presented on this website is one of the working group’s first outcomes.

The energy checks will be carried out by the Engineering and Utilities Division with support from the Unit for Sustainability and Energy Management. All suggestions regarding the times during which the use of heating or ventilation systems could be reduced will be discussed with the individual departments and administrative units. Furthermore, the Unit for Sustainability and Energy Management will visit departments to gather information on the laboratory equipment and research infrastructure on site. This information will then be integrated into the work carried out by the departmental sustainability teams.

We can all play our part, for example, by only switching on lab equipment, office equipment, and lights when we really need them – and by not forgetting to turn them off, either. With lighting, this is relatively easy to remember. After all, this is a very visible form of energy consumption. However, we often forget about devices or ventilation systems that we leave running continuously in the background. This is because we usually have other things on our minds than energy conservation. We can raise awareness by regularly discussing issues such as this in meetings.

When looking into how to address heating, we must remember that everyone perceives heat or cold differently. For this reason, while saving energy is important, it is also important to respect one another's comfort levels. In this regard, the following recommendations should be seen as a guide; they may not always be appropriate or necessary in each individual situation. Generally, well-insulated buildings can be heated better and more effectively than buildings that are poorly insulated or have drafty windows.

You can help in the following ways:

• As laboratories use a lot of power, we need to explore as many opportunities for saving energy as possible. This means reducing the running time of air conditioning, ventilation systems, and other laboratory devices to a minimum. Ventilation not only consumes a great deal of heat energy, it also tends to go hand in hand with high electricity consumption due to the use of electric pumps to circulate the warm air.
• To ensure that freezers and refrigerators are used efficiently, on-site visits by professionals can be a source of additional suggestions for optimization.
• Thermostats should be turned down during the evening and on the weekend, but not all the way to zero. Once the room reaches a certain temperature, the heat water supply to the radiator is switched off automatically. Turning the heat down means that things may be a bit colder at the beginning of the day. However, the rooms usually heat up again fairly quickly.
  Placing radiators on the setting “3” usually means that a temperature of around 20°C should be achieved. On the “2.5” setting, the target temperature is around 18°C, and on the “2” setting, the target temperature is around 16°C. Depending on the model of radiator, the actual temperature achieved may vary somewhat. You should also pay attention to the exact position of the thermostat, as this is very important.
  Please note: the thermostat can only be used to set the desired temperature in a specific room. Once this temperature is achieved, the thermostatic valve automatically shuts off the heat supply to the radiator. For this reason, setting all thermostats in one room to a similar temperature is an effective way to save energy when heating.
• Turning the thermostats down is a particularly effective energy-saving measure in seminar rooms. While this may mean that the room is colder at the beginning of the next day, it will soon heat up when many people are in attendance. In practice, it might help to create a rotating schedule to ensure that responsibility for turning down the thermostats or switching off the lights at the end of the seminar is shared among participants. This is something that could be organized at the beginning of each seminar.
• This winter, we are also relying on you to communicate any suggestions you may have for improving energy efficiency at Freie Universität. Any weak spots in the energy consumption of specific buildings or technology should be reported to the corresponding administrative unit as soon as possible so that the Engineering and Utilities Division can get involved.
• The most effective way to air rooms is to open the window completely for a couple of minutes. During this time, thermostats should be turned to the snowflake symbol.

No. Electric heaters use an excessive amount of electricity and if many people were to use them at the same time, this could lead to a power outage. This is something that must be avoided absolutely. For this reason, electric heaters may only be used in exceptional cases and must be officially approved by the Engineering and Utilities Division.

The most important information and latest news will be published on this website. If you have any questions, please send them to the Unit for Sustainability and Energy at: sustainability@fu-berlin.de

Currently, it does not look like Freie Universität’s energy supply will be at risk during the winter of 2022/2023. The Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Network Agency for Electricity, Gas, Telecommunications, Post, and Railway), responsible for energy security in Germany, considers universities and schools to be “protected institutions.” In doing so, they are making a clear political statement regarding the significance of educational institutions.

However, the Bundesnetzagentur has also made it publicly known that our country-wide consumption of natural gas must be reduced by 20% over the 2022/2023 winter period in order to avoid a national gas shortage. The State of Berlin has called for all universities and colleges across the state to reduce their consumption by at least 10%. At Freie Universität, we believe that we will be able to achieve this goal thanks to our strategic, ad hoc energy-saving program. Coupled with the fact that Freie Universität already reduced its energy consumption by 30% over the past 20 years, saving an additional 10% is no small feat. However, this is something that the university can and must do as part of its social responsibility toward avoiding an energy crisis.

In the event that a national gas shortage hits Germany this winter, the Working Group for Energy Efficiency and Security at Freie Universität has developed a step-by-step contingency plan. The working group is aware that additional energy-saving measures will necessitate certain limitations being placed on teaching and research operations at the university.