Sustainability report and key figures

In its sustainability report, the University of Kassel regularly publishes key figures on central developments in its operations, such as energy consumption and waste generation.

For better comparability, consumption is set in relation to the number of university­employees and the building area.

The University of Kassel has been in a phase of growth for many years. Based on the building structure concept drawn up in 2005 and updated in January 2015, the Holländischer Platz campus is being expanded towards the north. As a result, the building area to be managed has grown from 293,940 m² to 352,993 m² net room space (NRF) from 2009 to 2019, i.e. by about 20%.

Despite an increase in floor space and the number of people, the demand for heat­remains at a more or less constant­­ level.

Until 2016, the annual electricity­consumption increased steadily. From 2018 onwards, a downward trend can be observed.

Since 2016, the specific electricity consumption per m² NRF has been significantly reduced, reaching a value of 64 kWh per m² by 2019 (approx. -10%).­In terms of university employees, this corresponds to a reduction from 849 to 793 kWh per person (approx. -6.6%).

Specific heat consumption was reduced by around 7% from 109 to 101 kWh per m² NRF.

In terms of persons, the heat consumption remains at approximately the same level despite increasing building areas and the number of students.

In 2016, electricity and heat consumption resulted in a total of 9,176 t CO2-e Co2 emissions. In 2019, the CO2 balance shows a significantly lower value (approx. -18%) of 7,507 t CO2-e as a result of lower electricity and heat consumption as well as a correction of the specific CO2 emission factor* for district heating supply via the public district heating network of the city of Kassel. 

In the period 2017 to 2019, the specific CO2 emissions per m² NRF have decreased significantly compared to 2016. Whereas in 2016 they were 27 kg, in 2019 they are only 21 kg per m² NRF.

The specific CO2 emissions per person are also decreasing; if they were 324 kg in 2016, they are only 264 kg per person in 2019.

The amount of waste for recycling (AzV) was 334 t in 2016 and has slightly increased in 2019, and was 357 t. Before the introduction of the waste management concept, the amount of AzV was about 380 t per year and 19.1 kg per person. The specific waste generation in 2019 is 12.4 kg per person.

Water consumption is subject to slight fluctuations and shows a slight upward trend. From 2016 to 2019, consumption increased from 3.3 to 3.6 m³ per person. To reduce water consumption, water-saving faucets and WC flushes were used at many sites.

Further water-saving measures are planned.