UP's Heating Energy Savings Bonus
At over 45%, heating energy consumption is a major factor in the UP’s greenhouse gas footprint. As an incentive, a bonus is therefore being offered to give employees a financial stake in reducing heating energy consumption.
Who can participate?
Participants can be user units that can be assigned to the university’s organizational and site plan (faculties, institutes, etc.). If a building or building complex houses multiple user units, the incentive will be divided proportionally based on floor space usage. In cases of significantly varying usage, participants may agree on a separate allocation formula in advance. The technical requirements (consumption meters) are in place in almost all buildings.
Measures for Optimal Energy Savings
The Climate Protection Management team and representatives of the user unit discuss possible measures for the building in question. The goal is to jointly identify potential operational, organizational, and behavioral measures. The Climate Protection Management team can organize building inspections or short workshops. All possible and approved measures are communicated within the department. Often, a significant reduction in energy consumption can be achieved with minimal effort simply by users adopting mindful heating and ventilation habits. A brief, concluding report on the energy-saving measures implemented is intended to motivate other user units to take similar steps.
Calculation of Savings and the Bonus
If, during the usage period for which the application was submitted, heating energy consumption is lower than the baseline value, the user unit receives a bonus equal to half of the costs saved. The baseline is the average, climate-adjusted annual consumption over the previous 5 years. The Energy and Utilities Officer from the University of Potsdam’s Campus Facilities Management determines this value on a building-by-building basis and provides it to the user unit.
Use of the Grant
The grant must be used to improve technical equipment or provide professional development for employees within the grant year. The respective user unit is free to decide how to use the grant.
Registration Period
The usage period runs from October through September of the following year. It is best to register one to two months before the start of the usage period in order to identify and implement potential cost-saving measures early on.
Contact information will be used exclusively by the Climate Protection Management team and the Energy and Media Officer to process participation and will not be shared with third parties. For details, see the Privacy Policy.