Montabaur focuses on saving energy: a pioneer in climate protection measures!

Montabaur focuses on saving energy: a pioneer in climate protection measures!

Saving energy is very important in Montabaur! The municipality has already achieved initial success in reducing energy costs and CO2 emissions in schools. Thilo Walet, the municipality's energy manager, reports impressive savings of up to 36 percent over the past three years. These savings were achieved through the targeted analysis and optimization of the heating system settings at three schools: the Joseph-Kehrein-Elementary School, the Heinrich-Roth-Realschule Plus in Montabaur and the Freiherr-vom-Stein Realschule Plus in Nentershausen, and all without any extensive renovations or renovations.

But how was this actually implemented? The heating system at Heinrich-Roth-Realschule Plus was successfully optimized. This shows that great progress can be achieved with a clever approach. Walet already has further measures in mind and plans to technically optimize other buildings in the municipality, including other schools, daycare centers and fire stations. The goal? It's quite clear: to increase further savings potential through energy-saving renovations and to make an active contribution to climate protection.

Not just schools in focus

The savings measures are part of the growing initiative of the Montabaur municipality, which was the first municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate to be certified according to the “Kom.EMS” (municipal energy management system) standard. This system, as plattformklima.nrw describes, was developed by energy agencies in several federal states to support municipalities in recording their energy consumption and identifying savings opportunities. The positive response to this is also reflected in the praise from Environment Minister Katrin Eder, who sees the certification as a significant step towards climate neutrality.

Energy management not only includes the analysis of the current status of buildings, but also the control of consumption data. Regular exchange with other energy managers is also encouraged, as can be seen in the invitation to the monthly Energy Management Dialogue in North Rhine-Westphalia. Such events provide an opportunity to gather useful information and share achievements.

Saving energy in your own home

Walet encourages not only institutions, but also citizens to become active and save energy. In the private sector, a lot of savings can also be made by optimizing heating and lighting settings. After all, heating accounts for a large part – around 70 percent – ​​of energy consumption in the living area. Proper heating and ventilation can help to significantly reduce consumption.

The current energy crisis makes it all the more important that corresponding responsibilities are also made clear in the building authorities. In Lower Saxony, for example, we are observing pressure to save money, which has led to the number of employees in construction administration being significantly reduced. This development means that many planning tasks have to be outsourced, which endangers the in-house production quota and the necessary know-how in building management.

The future therefore lies not only in the renovation of buildings, but also in increased communication and optimization within local administrations. The federal government is also promoting increased staffing in the building authorities in order to create the necessary capacity for effective municipal energy management, according to klimaschutz-niedersachsen.de.

In Montabaur they show how you can make progress in the area of ​​energy saving with a good knack - this is not only a benefit for the municipality, but also for the entire region and, last but not least, for the environment!