Sustainability Report 2023
Energy supply
The buildings managed by Bielefeld University are supplied with energy through the purchase of electricity, district heating and natural gas, as well as through the in-house generation of electricity and heat (see figure). The complete data can be viewed in the appendix.
The development of energy consumption and generation is monitored regularly. Around 680 meters are currently integrated into the energy management system. The consumption of district heating, gas, electricity and water is digitally recorded and analysed using the integrated meters.
In its sustainability mission statement, the university has set itself the goal of consistently identifying and utilising potential energy savings and presenting energy consumption by energy type in an easily understandable way. There are plans to expand the energy management system. The aim is to optimise energy monitoring, i.e. the recording of data and statuses and the introduction of energy controlling, i.e. the creation of energy performance indicators and the identification of potential savings as well as the development of practical solutions for the implementation of measures.
Energy consumption
- District heating
Bielefeld University District heating is purchased from Stadtwerke Bielefeld University and accounts for around 61 % (weather-adjusted data) of the university's energy consumption (reference year 2019). The majority of the district heating purchased (>95 %) is used to supply the main university building. District heating consumption fell by around 4 % between 2017 and 2019. The increase in district heating consumption in 2020 and 2021 is due on the one hand to the increased ventilation requirements due to COVID-19 and on the other hand to the rental or purchase of the R1 building in the 3rd quarter of 2019. In the coming years, the new buildings being constructed on campus south will also be supplied with district heating. District heating from Stadtwerke Bielefeld enables a relatively low-emission heat supply for the buildings, as only 61 kg of CO2 is emitted per megawatt hour of district heating consumed. For comparison: According to the State Office for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection (LANUV), the national average of CO2 emissions per megawatt hour of district heating consumed is 286.95 kg of CO2 equivaltens.
- Electricity
Electricity accounts for around 36% of the university's energy consumption (reference year 2019). Electricity consumption has fallen steadily in recent years, e.g. by around 4.5% from 2017 to 2019. The low electricity consumption in 2020 and 2021 is mainly due to the reduced usage times in the university's buildings. In addition, Bielefeld University has been using certified green electricity since 2020. Even before purchasing green electricity, care was taken to ensure that the electricity purchased was produced with as few emissions as possible. By way of comparison, the CO2 emissions of the electricity purchased in 2019 were 147 kg per megawatt hour, well below the federal electricity mix of 425.4 kg per megawatt hour (source: LANUV).
- Natural gas
Natural gas accounts for less than 3 % of the university's energy consumption (reference year 2019). Natural gas is mainly used as an energy source for laboratory applications, e.g. in laboratory autoclaves for sterilisation processes. A small proportion of natural gas is used for heating purposes, e.g. in Building Y (boiler) and Building Z (combined heat and power plant). Gas consumption increased with the expansion of Building Z in Q4 2020 and the completion of Lecture Hall Building Y in Q3 2021.
- Heating oil
Heating oil accounts for less than 0.1 % of the university's energy consumption. Heating oil is required for the operation and regular test runs of the emergency power generators. The university is legally obliged to carry out regular test runs of the emergency power generators, known as power failure simulations.
Measures
In recent years, most of the exterior lighting on the university campus has been converted to LED. While the new buildings on campus south are already fully equipped with LEDs, the interior lighting of the existing buildings is gradually being converted to LED. Large areas of the main university building, such as the hall, the library and the swimming pool, have already been converted to LED.
Building Z has been equipped with a photovoltaic system, the electricity generated from which is mainly consumed in the same building. The installed PV capacity will be multiplied in the coming years as part of the construction of campus south.
In terms of heat consumption, the relatively low-emission district heating provided by Stadtwerke Bielefeld will continue to be used. In addition to the highly efficient combined heat and power plant in building Z and the boiler in building Y, which is only used at peak load times, heat pumps are to be used in building R4, which largely utilise environmental energy to generate heat energy.
Only natural refrigerants will be used for decentralised cooling in the new systems in the upcoming buildings on campus south. Compared to conventional refrigerants, natural refrigerants have a significantly better carbon footprint. By way of comparison, the refrigerant R134a, which is widely used in Germany, has a global warming potential of 1,530, while the natural refrigerant propane, for example, only has a global warming potential of 3. The global warming potential describes the contribution of a greenhouse gas to global warming compared to CO2.