Be SMART – Do more with less: Information on saving energy

In accordance with regulations issued by the federal cabinet, the heating temperature in all university buildings and premises will be lowered to 19 °C, where possible. There are no plans to turn off the heating in offices entirely. When heating your office or workspace, please close any doors and make sure that radiators are not blocked by furniture. During weekends or public holidays, the heating will be lowered centrally.

Currently, LUH is mainly supplied with heat via enercity's district heating network. The heating is controlled centrally via the building management system. Flow temperatures are controlled via optimised heating curves and depending on current outdoor temperatures. Scheduled night setbacks too are initiated centrally, via the building management system.

To maintain the specified maximum room temperature of 19 °C, all radiator thermostats must be in position “3”. Otherwise, adjacent rooms may not be supplied with sufficient heat.

If you prefer cooler temperatures, you are free to choose between positions 0-3 of the radiator thermostat while in the office.

In unoccupied rooms (during weekends or vacations), radiator thermostats must be in position “2” in order to maintain the required minimum temperature within buildings.

Information on radiator thermostat positions:
Position “2” (position “3”): If the room temperature reaches approximately 16 °C (19 °C), the thermostat prevents the inflow of new heated water, therefore saving energy.
Thermal loads in the room (people, machinery, etc.) as well as solar irradiation also contribute towards heating the room.

Tilting windows over an extended period of time during the heating period considerably increases energy consumption. Instead, rooms should be aired thoroughly three or four times per day by opening windows completely for three to ten minutes. When airing rooms, please close the doors and turn off the heating.

In rooms equipped with ventilation systems, ventilation should be switched on before the start of the session.

The Green Office temporarily lends measuring devices to all LUH staff members in order to determine the power consumption of individual appliances. The devices can be plugged into sockets to measure the power consumption of electrical appliances connected to the measuring device. A set of five measuring devices can be borrowed over a period of two weeks. Contact information: greenoffice@zuv.uni-hannover.de

Operating fan heaters is not permitted. In addition, operating private cooling devices or dishwashers is not permitted.

The energy-saving regulations of the federal government prohibit exterior lighting of monuments and buildings for purely aesthetic reasons. At LUH, this explicitly includes prestigious events.

Moreover, the Buildings Management Department assesses which exterior lights can be switched off without causing security issues. In case of any issues regarding exterior lighting, please send an email to energiesparen@uni-hannover.de.

In offices and workspaces at LUH, expenses for replacing the lighting in relation to savings must be assessed individually. Please note that we are not in a position to accommodate requests regarding the replacement of lighting in individual offices since this involves a disproportionate effort and rarely results in reasonable amortisation. Instead, please consider replacing the lighting in larger areas, such as an entire corridor or the entire institute. Requests may be submitted by sending an email to energiesparen@uni-hannover.de. Due to the large number of enquiries, delays may arise. Thank you for your patience.

Malfunctioning radiators and other faulty devices at LUH can be reported by calling +49 511 762 - 4440. Due to the large number of enquiries, delays may arise. Thank you for your patience.

The agreement on working from home and telecommuting applies. Alternative arrangements have been determined for the end of the year: From 19 December and wherever possible, all members of staff should work from home. This period will not count towards the individual telecommuting quota. On-campus operations will be resumed on 9 January 2023. Further information can be found in FAQ chapter 5.

LUH as an employer cannot be charged for energy costs in connection with telecommuting / working from home.

Computers and monitors should be switched off outside of working hours. Devices should not be left in standby mode. Network printers can be switched off. Network printers must always be switched off via the off switch. Pulling the power plug may damage internal hard disks. For the same reason, using time switches in this context is not permitted.

With regard to heating, please refer to FAQ section 1.1.1.

Multiple socket extension leads that can be switched off can help saving energy. By switching off all connected devices at the same time, unnecessary stand-by operation can be avoided.

Each multiple socket extension lead has a maximum power output, which must not be exceeded. Individual specifications can be found next to the on/off switch or on the underside of the device. High-powered devices must be plugged into separate wall sockets. Multiple socket extension leads should be accessible and must not be plugged into other multiple socket extension leads, due to fire safety risks. For outdoor use or in damp locations, multiple socket extension leads require a protection class of IP 44 or higher.

Due to the increased demand, the Green Office provides a limited number of multiple socket extension leads free of charge, available for interested members of staff or institutes and departments at LUH. Only one multiple socket extension lead per person can be obtained to be used in offices. A maximum of five multiple socket extension leads per institute or department will be issued. Collective orders are possible. The offer is subject to availability. There is no entitlement to receive multiple socket extension leads.

Contact information: greenoffice@uni-hannover.de

In offices, meeting rooms, kitchenettes and sanitary facilities, the light should be switched off when leaving the room. Individual rules apply in halls and laboratories, depending on the types of light sources.

The university provides funding for individual energy-saving measures. If ideas and measures increase the energy efficiency of research and institute operations and if these investments pay back within a reasonable period of time, they can be funded with up to 100 percent of the purchase price. Further information can be found at https://www.intern.uni-hannover.de/nocache/de/vademecum/detail/1143/

The Green Office will be happy to provide guidance on this: greenoffice@zuv.uni-hannover.de.

Teaching and learning at LUH in winter semester 2022/2023 will take place on campus.

The Presidential Board urges members of teaching staff to use online examination formats. Due to the energy crisis, renting external locations for examinations will no longer be possible.

Studentenwerk Hannover (Student Services Organisation Hannover) has set up two emergency funds for students who are in financial difficulty or in need due to rising energy costs. Visit www.studentenwerk-hannover.de/en/geld/aid-fund-for-students for more information.

In addition, from mid-March there will be a one-off payment of 200 euros for students (Energiepreispauschale).

The new law (Studierenden-Energiepreispauschalengesetz  – EPPSG) aims to ease the burden on students due to the increase in energy costs by providing a one-off payment of 200 euros to those eligible. Applications can be submitted since mid-March. Please note that applications should be submitted via the central national platform – not to LUH. All information on the process can be found on the dedicated website: www.einmalzahlung200.de/eppsg-de.

LUH will make an access code available to all students from calendar week 11. The PDF file can be downloaded via the feature “Meine Bescheinigungen” in the QIS portal. About two or three days later, the PIN can be accessed via the feature “Meine Benutzerdaten”. The access code and PIN can be used to apply for the relief payment via the website www.einmalzahlung200.de.

In order to implement the one-off relief payment for students (Studierenden-Energiepreispauschalengesetz – EPPSG), the student’s first name, surname and date of birth as well as a PIN in encrypted form and the hash value of the individual access key have been documented, stored in a list and disclosed to the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture (MWK), which is responsible for approval (section 1 paragraph 2 of the Lower Saxony regulation governing the implementation of the one-off relief payment for students (Studierenden-Energiepreispauschalengesetz – EPPSG-DVO)).

All students enrolled at a higher education institution in Germany on the cut-off date – 1 December 2022 – are eligible for the one-off relief payment.

Part-time students, doctoral candidates, exchange students, distance learning students, as well as students on leave of absence or students who are no longer enrolled are eligible for the one-off relief payment if they were enrolled on the cut-off date – 1 December 2022.

Guest students are not eligible for the one-off relief payment, as they are not enrolled as regular students.

On the website of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) you will find further information, as well as their frequently asked questions and contact details for the national information hotline.

Leibniz University Hannover cannot answer any questions regarding the application process. LUH only provides access credentials for the application portal. In case of any queries regarding your access credentials, please send an email to eppsg@zuv.uni-hannover.de. In case of any issues regarding the application process, please consult the FAQ section at www.einmalzahlung200.de/faq. In case of any further queries, please contact the support team for applicants at www.einmalzahlung200.de/kontakt. In case of any technical problems, please provide screenshots.

If necessary, replace out-of-date devices with new energy-efficient models. Where this is impossible or only possible to a limited extent, implement technical solutions for energy-efficient operation in your area, for example by shutting down equipment, reducing the use of equipment or by reducing operation during the night.

Please also refer to the Energy saving tips provided by the Green Office (only available in German)

Please check whether the air change rate outside of operating times can be reduced in accordance with necessary user requirements.

A large amount of energy can be saved by removing leaks within the compressed air network. For this purpose, please call +49 511 762 - 4440. Compressed air requirements of users should be kept to a minimum.

Please check whether the air change rate can be reduced or if ventilation and air-conditioning systems can be turned off outside of usage periods within the framework of legal requirements.

If possible, individual hazardous substance storage units can be centralised in order to deactivate or reduce equipment.