Energy saving plan of the city of Jena

The city of Jena is presenting a report on the city's energy-saving plan to the Jena City Council on Wednesday. It contains a package of measures that can help to save energy in the city immediately, in the medium and long term. Possible emergency measures were also defined, which are taken into consideration in the event of a gas shortage. The result is a package that can lead to a total energy saving of around 2000 megawatt hours (MWh).

Energy volumes of 1.9 terawatt hours currently flow through Jena's energy networks. This ratio shows that the amount of energy saved by the city only accounts for a very small proportion. But the individual contributions of all cities make the difference in the end. The exemplary effect of the public sector and further awareness of energy saving will also increasingly create incentives for private individuals and companies to be more conscious of their energy consumption.

First municipal energy-saving measures to be implemented immediately

After the city of Jena switched off the exterior lighting of public buildings and monuments at the end of July, the "Energy Crisis" crisis team met for the first time at the beginning of September with representatives from the city administration, Stadtwerke Energie, Kommunale Immobilien Jena (KIJ), the fire department, the police, Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft Jena mbH, representatives of social associations and representatives of the housing industry (JenaWohnen, WG Carl Zeiss, Haus & Grund etc.).
Further concrete savings measures will follow immediately:

• The street lighting on Stadtrodaer Straße will be switched off this week. This will result in annual energy savings of approx. 180 MWh. For reasons of road safety, intersections are excluded. The accompanying cycle path will also continue to be illuminated.
• The city council will also be presented with a resolution to amend the statutes on the special use of public roads. This will prohibit the installation of radiant heaters for heating outdoor areas in public spaces. Both propane-powered and electric patio heaters have very high energy consumption and CO2 emissions. The amendment to the statutes must first be confirmed by the State Administration Office.

Municipal energy-saving measures that will be reviewed and/or implemented in the coming weeks

In the short term

• The switching off of street lighting in the commercial areas of the city of Jena between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. is being examined.
• The exterior lighting of public buildings at KIJ, KSJ and the Stadtwerke Group (savings of approx. 13 MWh p.a. KSJ) will be switched off.
• The lighting of infrastructure facilities will be examined for potential savings (switching times, brightness).
• Lowering the pool water temperature and room temperature by 2 °C in the GalaxSea leisure pool (savings of approx. 596 MWh p.a.)
• Reducing the temperature of hot water preparation in the Jena swimming pool facilities from 75 °C to 70 °C (savings of 119 MWh p.a.)
• Reducing the running time of electricity consumers such as pumping systems (3.1 MWh p.a. of energy)

Medium-term

• Lowering the temperature in the municipal crematorium by reducing the afterburning temperature from 850 °C to 750 °C (savings of 60.78 MWh - 97.25 MWh per year)
• The Economic Development Agency is looking into emergency consultation hours for companies, together with Jena's municipal utilities, the ThEGA and the Jena-Thuringia Climate Protection Foundation.
• KIJ checks and identifies further savings potential in the interior lighting of administrative buildings and surveys the current maintenance status of heating systems.
• The city is developing a municipal funding program to promote solar power generation. The aim of the funding guideline is to promote the use of solar power via plug-in photovoltaic systems (PV systems).

In the long term

• With a view to the summer of 2023, technical and organizational preparations are being made to limit air conditioning in public buildings.
• The current and continuously evolving energy requirements for municipal construction and renovation projects are continuously incorporated into KIJ's planning.
• Furthermore, existing municipal properties are examined for possible further energy optimization measures and their economic feasibility.

In the event of a gas shortage, the city has coordinated emergency measures in close cooperation with Stadtwerke Jena. The city is examining various scenarios for this, including vacating administrative buildings, closing the GalaxSea and switching off hot water in municipal sports facilities.

Background

The federal government's ordinance on short-term measures to secure the energy supply was adopted by the Federal Cabinet on 24.08.2022. It regulates energy-saving measures in the building sector for public bodies, companies and private households. These precautionary measures are intended to avoid unnecessary energy consumption in order to prevent or mitigate a shortage situation as far as possible. Among other things, it has been stipulated that store doors may not be left permanently open since 01.09.2022, illuminated advertising structures may only be lit during limited hours and the temperature in workrooms in workplaces may only be a maximum of 19 degrees Celsius.

The city's energy-saving plan goes beyond these nationwide regulations and examines further energy savings that the city of Jena can decide on within its own sphere of influence.