ECHO-Project
Project description
The joint project ECHO - Energy Efficiency and CO2 Savings at Universities pursues the development of an energy saving campaign to promote energy-efficient behavior at universities. ECHO was first tested on selected buildings at German universities (initial phase) and has now been extended to other buildings in the next step (diffusion phase). This approach will be continued beyond the project period. In the project period from 01.01.2016 to 31.12.2018, two campaign periods will initially be designed, after which the ECHO concept will be made available online so that it can be implemented independently by other interested universities.
ECHO at the HNEE
In the 2016/2017 heating period, an energy saving campaign was carried out at HNEE as part of the ECHO project in Houses 2 and 11. The goal is to use targeted information and provided tools to trigger behavioral changes among office users and consequently achieve energy savings. For example, heat energy is to be saved by ventilating the building at regular intervals instead of tilting it, and standby losses of electrical equipment are to be reduced by the consistent use of plug connectors that can be switched off. With the experience gained from Houses 2 and 11 and if the hoped-for energy savings materialize, the campaign is to be extended to other houses in the next heating period.
Participating universities
- Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt am Main
- University of Bremen
- University of Hamburg
- University for Sustainable Development Eberswalde
- Berlin University of Technology
- University of Ulm
- Saarland University (Saarbrücken)
- Darmstadt University of Technology
- Koblenz University of Applied Sciences
- Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg
Energy saving tips
The different local circumstances help to shape the campaign material so that it can be successfully applied in different circumstances. Essentially, four energy-saving tips are communicated: turning off all appliances and lighting completely during extended absences, turning down the heat, and more effective ventilation behavior (short bursts of ventilation instead of constant tilt ventilation). These behavioral tips are communicated via various campaign materials through which environmentally friendly energy behavior is motivated and promoted. In addition, the feeling of being able to make a difference individually and collectively is to be strengthened. In this way, minor changes in behavior can be made possible, making a valuable contribution to saving energy.
First project results
Overall, about 1 % of electricity consumption and about 7 % of thermal energy consumption was saved in the campaign buildings across all participating universities. In comparison, in university buildings where no campaigns were conducted (control buildings), electricity consumption increased by about 6 % and thermal energy consumption decreased by about 2 %. To calculate these values, the energy consumption data for the heating period (October to March) were considered and compared with values from previous years.
Materials
