Projects

Brief description of the project

The University of Kassel strives for an ecologically sustainable development of its operations and thus wants to live up to its social role model function. Of the 111 properties currently under the university's responsibility, around 60 buildings stand out where significant savings potential can be expected through renovation measures. Due to the widely varying years of construction and the diverse architecture that characterizes the University of Kassel, it is also necessary to take a differentiated look at the energy-saving possibilities. The projects initiated since 2016 in the area of sustainability in operation have already shed light on several individual topics and are attempting to structure initial approaches to solutions as well as a survey of the existing situation. The task now is to bundle these individual topics and transform them into a coherent overall concept. In the process, accompanying peripheral topics are also to be taken up and culminate in an energy master plan by means of an intensive coordination process. The aim is to increase the energy efficiency of the buildings, which, in combination with the lowest possible use of primary energy, will lead to a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The energy master plan is to be understood as a roadmap that defines concrete measures that are necessary on the way to the self-imposed goal of_{CO2 neutrality of} the University of Kassel by the year 2030.

Milestones and planned work steps

The path to_{CO2 neutrality} is based on several pillars:

• A significant reduction in energy requirements for building management is central to this. This applies to both winter heating and summer cooling, as well as to other energy-related operating processes caused by the university's diverse usage structure. Therefore, the principle applies that energy that is not consumed does not have to be generated in the first place.
• The generation of the required energy must be as sustainable and environmentally friendly as possible. The focus should be on renewable energy sources in order to reduce_{CO2 emissions}. All possibilities for local expansion are to be exhausted. Energy that is generated and consumed decentrally creates sustainable processes.
• Local_{CO2 sinks} and reservoirs will be increasingly expanded and their potential exploited. Greening, planting and unsealing do not only improve the microclimate and are a future-oriented contribution to climate adaptation. Due to their ecological properties, they also have a binding effect for_CO2 and thus act as a natural sink.
• Despite the greatest possible efficiency and planning, a university operation will always have an energy requirement and thus an associated emission of_CO2. This smallest possible residual amount will require compensation. The master plan should also show which possibilities arise here. The goal could be local measures, which are also in the exchange of science and education and thus retain a regional reference.

The basic approach is based on the strategy of the Hessian state administration. The specific weighting must be worked out in the context of the master plan of the University of Kassel.

At the beginning, a definition of the fields of action that can lead to a reduction of_{CO2 emissions} is necessary. This must represent the status quo of the University of Kassel as realistically as possible, from which future planning and balances can be made to ensure measurability of success. The following fields of action for minimizing energy demand must be taken into account:

• Energy retrofitting of the building envelope in all areas that can be implemented. In this context, the internally defined standard is applied rather than the statutory minimum standard (currently GEG 2020). This leads to higher_{CO2 savings} due to its significantly higher requirements (qualities and standard requirements for the buildings of the University of Kassel, status 2021).
• Review of existing plant technologies and their environmental impact. For example, what impact would changing the energy source have on the existing cogeneration plant.
• Survey of the possible solar potential of all usable surfaces. This concerns steep and flat roofs as well as vertically usable areas. In the course of this, shading concepts that simultaneously serve to generate electricity are also to be included. Systemically coordinated storage concepts are also to be provided in order to ensure the highest possible rate of self-use.
• The optimization of the building services engineering will be implemented in a further sub-project and must be carried out in close exchange. This concerns heating systems, cooling systems as well as air-conditioning systems.
• Replacement of the lighting technology with more efficient LED technology and, if possible, the use of presence detectors are planned.
• Other outdated technical equipment, which is present to a not inconsiderable extent, is to be replaced with highly efficient devices. This applies in particular to small electrical appliances (white goods, e.g. refrigerators), which usually meet a very old energy standard.

Brief description of the project

In order to be able to achieve the goal of a largely climate-neutral university in the foreseeable future through a targeted improvement in environmental performance, the energy and resource consumption of buildings at the University of Kassel is to be reduced in order to avoid associated carbon dioxide emissions. In this project, the focus is on the energy-optimized operation of the existing technical infrastructure of the properties.

University buildings are complex systems. They are conceived, designed, constructed, and operated and used over decades by numerous, diverse individuals. Therefore, maintaining building operations at optimal and energy-efficient performance is a major challenge. In fact, many buildings and facilities fail to achieve this. Studies have shown potential energy savings of 5% to 30% that can be realized by optimizing the operation and use of buildings.

In this project, the energy efficiency potentials that arise in the operation of buildings and technical facilities are to be identified, determined and tapped. For this purpose, the existing plant technology and its mode of operation will be analyzed, the requirements for room and building conditions will be determined and defined, and suitable measures will be taken in the area of plant operation in order to achieve the most efficient possible consumption of resources for the necessary building operation.

In addition to the adjustment of setpoints, which are instrumental in ensuring the efficient operation of the systems, completely new control concepts for technical systems and their operation are to be developed, tried out, tested, applied and evaluated. If the evaluation of this process reveals the desired energy efficiency improvements, an attempt will be made to standardize the new control patterns and apply them to other technical plants.

Milestones and planned work steps

After the necessary personnel acquisition, the following work steps are planned for the implementation of the project:

Clarification of the relevant framework conditions and definition of a standardized procedure (project start, duration 3 months):

• Compilation and evaluation of the relevant specifications for building operation from laws, guidelines and ordinances (Building Energy Act, workplace guidelines, building regulations, etc.)
• Development of forms and aids for recording and documenting plant technology.
• Determination and procurement of the necessary measurement technology in order to be able to determine current operating states of the existing plant technology.
• Development of a concept to be able to determine the utilization requirements of the individual buildings in as much detail as possible.  

Building-by-building energy optimization of the systems engineering (term - remaining project term):

After the basics and tools for the energetic optimization of the plant operation have been developed, as already described, the buildings will be examined and optimized step by step with a standardized procedure. This will be done according to a priority list that was developed as part of the project "_CO2 optimized campus - sub-project potential analysis". This ensures that the buildings with the highest savings potential are inspected and optimized first. In this way, good energy efficiency improvements are already achieved at the beginning of the project. If new findings emerge during the implementation of the developed concept, they will be continuously incorporated into the developed basics.   

The large number and complexity of the buildings and their systems engineering ensure that the task of optimizing the energy efficiency of system operation will become an ongoing task. Even if the system operation of all buildings in the portfolio is optimized once, the continuous changes in use mean that the optimization process must be considered again and again in subareas.