Jena: Climate action plan also helps to tackle the energy crisis in the short term
With its Climate Action Plan, the city of Jena is setting out a major roadmap to climate neutrality by 2035. It bundles numerous measures that should lead to climate neutrality and thus also to independence from fossil fuels. The current energy crisis in Germany calls for even faster action. Everyone is therefore called upon to do their bit to save energy, as every kilowatt hour of energy saved helps to increase security of supply this winter.
The city administration has a particular responsibility to live up to its role model function. The administration is therefore working hard on an energy-saving concept in order to be able to take every effective measure.
Various measures from the climate action plan have also been examined in this context. Due to the acute crisis, however, short-term measures that take effect within a few days or weeks are also required. The administration has drawn up a detailed step-by-step plan to counter the energy crisis. At the same time, an intensive search for potential savings is continuing. Among other things, the following points are planned in the short term to reduce energy consumption in Jena:
- Expansion of public relations work and the range of advice on energy-saving options
- Thinning out street and outdoor lighting
- Retrofitting optimized thermostats in all municipal properties
- Thinning out the lighting in the buildings
- Preference for e-meetings
- Training for janitors on energy-saving measures and recommissioning after supply systems fail
- Lowering the temperature in the indoor pool by 2° Celsius
- Ban on radiant heaters in public spaces
- Detailed implementation plan to reduce the room temperature during the heating phase in all public buildings (except daycare centers and schools)
"The decision not to include daycare centers and schools, which are particularly affected by the pandemic, in short-term savings measures is the result of a clear prioritization. After 2 ½ years of the corona pandemic, schools and daycare centers have priority for us in the energy crisis," emphasizes Mayor Christian Gerlitz.
In addition, the city of Jena is preparing for a possible gas shortage in winter with a crisis plan that provides detailed measures and structures on how to respond to a specific supply bottleneck with heat islands and restart plans, for example.
Mayor Gerlitz appeals: "It is absolutely clear to us that we as the city administration alone can only make a small contribution to preparing ourselves for the fall by saving energy. We must pull together with the citizens of Jena as well as with Jena's business community in order to counter this energy crisis by reducing consumption."