In view of the impending lack of energy in the coming winter, the German Association of Cities sent out a series of savings recommendations to the municipalities. “We are all called upon to save more energy now. Cities want to be role models and pioneers,” says Helmut Dedy, General Manager of the Association of German Cities. Every kilowatt hour saved now is a precaution for the cold months.
The voluntary association, which claims to include 3,200 cities and communities, has provided the star with a list of examples that the association believes should protect German cities from an energy shortage in advance. “Of course, what is suitable for the cities will be discussed and decided on site,” Dedy continues.
In the context of this catalogue, the City Day refers to twelve specific measures.
Most of them can be implemented “immediately”. The water temperature in indoor swimming pools could be reduced or the temperature control in outdoor pools could be interrupted. In “selected public buildings” hot water can even be turned off completely in order to save up to ten percent of energy.
Furthermore, the city day proposes to return ventilation systems “to the normal state before the pandemic”. This would also affect mobile systems in schools. This alone would reduce the energy requirement by a quarter. At the beginning of the heating period (usually from October), ventilation systems can be switched off completely “where windows can be ventilated”.
However, other proposals are likely to have literally visible effects. According to the association, the outdoor lighting of “representative public buildings” could be switched off at any time – in other words: landmarks such as the Cologne Cathedral, the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie or the Berlin TV tower would no longer shine in the dark. In addition, the City Council recommends a far-reaching conversion to LED lighting.
As soon as German cities were heated, further measures could be implemented. Gymnasiums could then only be heated to 15 degrees Celsius, while the temperature in schools and public facilities could be reduced to the minimum permissible value of 20 degrees. It should also be cooler in stairwells and corridors.
In addition to these recommendations for action, the City Day presented seven accompanying proposals consisting of information campaigns and awareness-raising programs. Among other things, the consumption of electricity and gas should be monitored more closely.
The association also recommends a “campaign to raise user awareness of energy saving” and training for caretakers. Ongoing construction measures would have to be checked and “consistently ambitious energy standards” observed. Although this can be “implemented in the short term”, it is not “effective in the short term”. Mobile heating devices could be completely banned.
The 53 million citizens included in the central association are apparently also supposed to help save. The City Day proposes the “issuance of simple thermometers for individual self-monitoring of the temperature in public buildings”. “In our cities there is a great deal of creativity in finding good solutions,” says General Manager Dedy.
