Research project on financing energy-saving measures at universities - University of Kassel pilot university

Invest in energy-saving measures and let this investment pay for itself over time: In times of tight university budgets and high targets for reducing energy consumption, this is an attractive idea. By improving the energy efficiency of buildings, money can be saved, which in turn can be reinvested in new energy-saving measures. While this process, known as "intracting", is already being tested and used in some German cities, municipalities and communities, it has not yet been applied in the university sector. This could soon change. The IntrHo research project has now been initiated at the Department of Technical Building Services at the University of Kassel, headed by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jens Knissel, with the aim of systematically developing a feasible intracting process for universities in a transferable manner. The departments of Solar and Systems Engineering and Building Physics at the University of Kassel are scientifically involved in the project.

"The aim of IntrHo," says Knissel, "is to develop and test an application-oriented, transferable financing concept for energy-saving measures at universities." The aim is to enable the respective university's internal energy management to continuously increase the efficiency of its university buildings and to tap into existing energy-saving potential in the long term.

The implementation of IntrHo is divided into several work packages: First, it is analyzed whether and, if so, in what form the idea of intracting can be applied at universities and colleges. To this end, the previous experiences that local authorities have had with intracting will be compiled and, building on this, sensible forms of design for universities will be identified and implemented as examples.

Questions that typically arise when applying intracting at universities are answered: Start-up financing, quantification of energy savings, profitability calculation, possibilities for user motivation and cooperation, but also administrative and budgetary issues. A calculation tool is being developed that can be used to calculate and visualize the temporal development of energy and CO2 savings as well as the account balance of the intracting cost centre in a scenario simulation. This makes it possible to optimize the implementation model in the concept phase and evaluate it in the application phase.

Communication is also an important component: the results are publicized through presentations, articles and a symposium at the end of the project. The project results will be summarized and presented in a practical manner in a guide entitled "Intracting at universities".

The project will run for five years and is due to be completed in the fall of 2020. The Federal Ministry of Economics is funding IntrHo with around 630,000 euros.

Kassel University pilot university invests in energy saving using a new model

In contrast to contracting, intracting does not involve an external service provider. This role is assumed by an internal organizational unit of the university. This is where the University of Kassel comes into play as a pilot university: over the next few years, it will be implementing energy-saving measures using the intracting method. It has set up a special budget item of 250,000 euros for this purpose, which it intends to use to finance energy-saving measures in the coming years. The first measures include the conversion of spotlights in some laboratories and halls to LED lights and the integration of waste heat from chillers to produce hot water.

The energy costs saved will then be credited to the new budget item, which will be used to finance new measures in future. The start-up financing can also be amortized over time: After around five years, it is expected that the energy costs saved will cover the personnel and investment costs and the activities will pay for themselves. From then on, according to Knissel, a contribution can also be made to relieving the general university budget. 

Prof. Knissel's research group is scientifically monitoring and evaluating this pilot phase. Even though the university's energy-saving measures and the IntrHo scientific project are formally two separate projects, the two projects are to be closely interlinked. In this way, science can benefit from practice and practice from science.

Picture of Prof. Dr.-Ing Jens Knissel (Photo: Sonja Rode) at :
www.uni-kassel.de/uni/fileadmin/datas/uni/presse/anhaenge/2015/Knissel__Jens.jpg
 

Contact:

Prof. Dr.-Ing Jens Knissel

Faculty: Architecture, Urban Planning, Landscape Planning

Subject area: Technical building services

Phone: 0561/804-7463

E-mail: knissel[at]uni-kassel[dot]de

Klaus Sausmikat

Head of Department: Building, Technology, Real Estate

Tel. 0561/804 2259

E-mail: sausmikat[at]uni-kassel[dot]de