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Report 1 (of 6): 50/50 -
Germany
Introduction
In October 1994, it was decided that the schools
in Hamburg were using too much energy. In an attempt
to conserve some of the energy that was being wasted,
the Fifty-Fifty Project was started in a number of
the schools.
The idea for this project originated in the Environmental
Agency and was warmly welcomed by the city council
of Hamburg as an attempt to make the children of
the city aware of their environment and its problems
and to help them to contribute through their work
to the protection of the environment in general.
The key element of the Fifty-Fifty Project is a
system of financial incentives that enables the schools
to share the saving in energy and water costs they
have achieved themselves. Fifty per cent of the money
saved in energy conservation is returned to the school
where it can be reinvested into new energy saving
devices, equipment, materials and extra curricular
activities. For instance, Blankenese School bought
solar panels with the money they saved on energy
consumption and installed them themselves.
It was intended that the trial project would last
for three years in all types of school, with 24 schools
taking part initially. By July 1995, 40 schools were
involved and by the autumn of 1996, 60 more schools
had joined the project. Since January 1997, the project
has become a permanent exercise.
Special equipment was installed to monitor the progress
of the project in the schools. Each school was responsible
for recording its progress and the results were monitored
by the Environmental Agency. Each school had to develop
its own methods of carrying out the work within the
restraints of its facilities but after one year the
24 schools taking part had saved on electricity,
heating and water, DM422,611 and their bonus was
DM211,321 - a fifty-fifty split.
GBP1 = 3.0762DM and USD1 = 1.8279DM @March 1998
The Implementation of the Fifty Fifty Project A
team was set up in each school - teachers, cleaners
and a member of the staff management team. Their
job was to inform the school about the project and
their plans to implement it. The members of the team
reported back to the Environmental Agency and ideas
were brought together from all the schools, including
the problems they faced.
Some schools set up teams of pupils - the Energy
Team', the Lighting Team', the Electricity Team'
etc. to carry out patrols with measuring instruments
to monitor the energy waste and water consumption.
The instruments encourage the students to think about
energy waste and eventually they will save water
and energy automatically. Other schools organised
teams out of school hours to carry out the work.
In most cases, the teachers initiated the ideas
and monitored the procedure. Many of the ideas were
integrated into lessons - some subjects lent themselves
more readily to this work but in art, for example,
posters were made to advertise the project.
The first year was the hardest. Everyone needed
to be organised, determined and committed to the
project. Results were not always immediately obvious
but once the project had been up and running properly
results soon began to show. The credit goes largely
to the commitment of the teaching staff who made
this project the success it has been.
Saving Electricity
One school removed all its hot water boilers and
saved money in this way - remarkably no-one complained!
The staff room switched off one of its two fridges
which were hardly used and the students were trained
to switch off lights at break or when lessons were
cancelled. Coffee was kept warm in flasks instead
of keeping the coffee machine running. All the electrical
appliances, for example, fax machines and photocopiers
were switched off at the end of the school day.
Saving Heating
Another school decided that their rooms were generally
too hot so they reduced the water temperature for
the radiators from 70ºC to 50ºC and found
their working conditions to be more pleasant. Thermostats
were checked regularly. Doors and windows were closed
at the end of the school day to conserve the heat.
The heating system should be checked on a regular
basis with the room temperature kept at 20ºC,
ensuring that it does not fall below 10ºC. When
the heating level rises and becomes too high, the
energy patrol ask the caretaker to turn down the
centrally regulated system. An empty classroom is
always much colder than a full one so as the temperature
inside the room increases the heating should be turned
down rather than opening a window and letting out
all the hot air.
Saving Water
In the first year, the 24 schools taking part in
the project saved 7,941 cubic metres of drinking
water which is the equivalent of the yearly consumption
of 80 households. However, half of the schools involved,
found this part of the project the most difficult.
Most of the water was used for toilets and for showers
after sport so there was little opportunity for reducing
the consumption. Instead, the students were encouraged
to report dripping taps or leaks and the caretaker
was encouraged to check the toilet flushes regularly.
Swimming pools in schools waste a lot of water so
the level of the water in the pools was lowered in
an attempt to reduce the amount lost over the side
from splashing.
The Future of the Fifty Fifty Project
The initial costs incurred for this project by the
City Council of Hamburg were considerable but were
balanced out by the great savings in energy and water
made by the schools. The success of the scheme depended
very much on the exchange of knowledge and experiences
in implementing the project and the working together
of the various groups to make it succeed. Many more
schools have enquired about the project throughtout
the whole of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The Fifty-Fifty Project is now being carried out
at all the schools in Hamburg (about 450 in total)
and is also being established at schools in Japan,
Greece and Spain. The savings can be huge and can
amount to an average of US$3,000 per year being put
back into each school. It is now planned to extend
the project to other environmental areas such as
waste disposal.
By saving energy, carbon dioxide emissions are reduced
and the environment is protected. The results in
the trial period show that by the year 2005, the
Fifty-Fifty schools will have reduced the emissions
of carbon dioxide by 25%.
Tips for Schools
Make sure that you have the full support of the
caretaker. He knows the school better than you.
Do not aim too high. Small ideas are often rewarding
and profitable.
Share the workload.
Beware - many teachers and pupils may only take
the project seriously when they see the financial
benefit.
The project should become, where possible, part
of the whole school curriculum.
The more committed you are, the more successful
the project will be.
It will take time for people to adjust to a new
way of doing things - be patient.
A properly organised and well run approach is the
most effective.
Do not get frustrated, mistakes can be discussed.
Cooperation is the key.
Intermediate Technology would like to thank the
members of the Fifty Fifty Project - particularly
Wolfgang Theil - for their in help in providing the
original notes on the project and Hilary Dunne, from
the Lawrence Sheriff School in Rugby, for translating
the original material.
For further information, please contact:
Wolfgang Theil / Gerhard Nobis, Projekt Fifty /
Fifty, Umweltbehorde, Fachamt fur Energie und Immissionsschutz
16, Billstrabe 84, 20539 Hamburg, Germany.
Tel: +49 40 7880 2223/2225 Fax: +49 40 7880 2099
or visit the website www.dkrz.de/schule.
Further reading on Energy Efficiency from ITDG Development
Bookshop
Energy Efficiency Policies Victor Anderson Routledge
ISBN 0 415 08697 3 1993 paperback œ9.99
Power Surge Christopher Flavin Investment opportunities
and environmental problems are pushing the world
towards more efficient,decentralized and cleaner
energy systems. A clear and accessible outline to
the massive changes ahead in transport, the home
and society.
Earthscan ISBN 1 85383 205 7 1994 paperback £10.95
Energy, Environment and Development Jose Goldemberg
Earthscan ISBN 1 85383 368 1 1996 paperback £12.95
Energy Options: An introduction to small-scale renewable
energy technologies Edited and introduced by Drummond
Hislop Renewable energy can present a baffling array
of options to aid agency manager, government officials,
and advisers. This publication contrasts the relative
merits of biomass, solar, hydro, and wind power,
as well as detailing some direct applications. Intermediate
Technology Publications ISBN 1 85339 082 8 1991 paperback £7.95
The Power Guide: An international catalogue of small-scale
energy equipment With introductions by Wim Hulscher
and Peter Fraenkel Dealing with renewable energy
sources (wind, sun, water and biomass) this book
catalogues small-scale energy equipment (up to 250kW)
and provides information on hundreds of products
from almost 500 manufacturers and suppliers in over
40 countries. Intermediate Technology Publications
ISBN 1 85339 192 1 1994 paperback £25.00
The Energy Dimension: A practical guide to energy
in rural development programmes Christopher Hurst
and Andrew Barnett Helps planners identify energy
needs early on so they can be integrated into project
design. Summarizes key issues, with detailed discussion
of energy options, and the dynamics of supply and
demand; plus fact sheets and checklists for quick
reference. Intermediate Technology Publications ISBN
1 85339 174 7 1990 paperback £10.95
Save Energy, Save Money Centre for Alternative Technology
ISBN 1 89804 905 1 1995 paperback £4.50
Energy Efficiency and Conservation in the Developing
World: The World Bank's role World Bank ISBN 0 821
32317 2 1998 paperback £7.95
To order any of these books from ITDG Development
Bookshop, send a Sterling Cheque (adding 15% for
postage and packing to European addresses, 25% elsewhere),
or credit card details (American Express, Visa or
MasterCard) to:
ITDG Development Bookshop 103-105 Southampton Row,
London WC1B 4HH,United Kingdom. Tel + 44 171 436
9761 Fax + 44 171 436 2013 Email orders@itpubs.org.uk or visit our website at www.developmentbookshop.com
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