In recent months, Giessen's public swimming pools have had pumps replaced and some of the lighting in the Westbad has been modernised. These modernisation measures are an important part of Stadtwerke Giessen's climate protection activities. Thanks to the new technology, the Giessen pools use around 320,000 kilowatt hours less electricity each year.
Using energy as efficiently as possible is a central guiding principle at Stadtwerke Gießen. Of course, this also applies to the Giessen swimming pools - an area that uses a relatively large amount of electricity and heat. Consequently, those responsible have taken a close look at all systems and examined where savings potential can be realised. The results of this search and the subsequent modernisation are impressive: From now on, the Giessen pools will save more than 320,000 kilowatt hours of electricity - year after year. "That's roughly equivalent to the consumption of 100 households," says Uwe Volbrecht, head of the Giessen pools, categorising the figure.
New pumps and LED lighting
Modern technology makes this saving, which may seem unbelievable to the uninitiated, possible. New high-efficiency pumps account for the lion's share of the reduction in consumption. Previously, conventional units provided the necessary circulation in the bathing water treatment system. Instead of running permanently at the same speed like the old ones, the new, electronically controlled pumps always adjust their performance to the current demand. "The new pump technology alone leads to a reduction in electricity consumption of around 250,000 kilowatt hours per year in all pools combined - i.e. in the Ringallee bathing centre, the Westbad and the Kleinlinden and Lützellinden outdoor pools," says a delighted Uwe Volbrecht. The new lighting in the Westbad pool will save a further 72,000 kilowatt hours. Here, the Giessen baths have replaced the conventional lamps with the latest generation of LED systems. Particularly worth mentioning: the Giessen pools used the corona-related closures for the modernisation work, which took ten weeks.
Subsidy money from the federal government
Such massive interventions in the technology naturally cost a lot of money. However, the Giessen pools did not have to raise this alone. Because the modernisations serve climate protection, the federal government provided financial support. And there is a good reason for this: both the pump replacement and the lighting conversion are local components of the National Climate Protection Initiative. Since 2008, the Federal Ministry for the Environment has been using to initiate and support numerous projects that contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Its programmes and projects cover a broad spectrum of climate protection activities - from the development of long-term strategies to concrete assistance and investment support measures. This diversity is a guarantee for good ideas. The National Climate Initiative helps to anchor climate protection on the ground. It benefits consumers as well as companies, local authorities and educational institutions.