City planning officer Michael Tacke welcomed the guests and thanked the project partners for their participation. Together, they had a varied offer for citizens, but also for institutions and companies this year. These include presentations, information and hands-on activities.
Klaus-Dieter Sievers, Managing Director of Dr. Graband und Partner, spoke on the topic of "Diversity of renovation options for existing buildings with the aim of improving energy requirements and the working climate". The company has extensively renovated an office building from the 1970s with various measures (insulation; heating) and is thus significantly reducing its annual energy consumption. The Braunschweig-based company is the winner of the "Resource Efficiency 2016" competition organized by the Regional Energy Agency (REA).
Sievers described the path to implementation as well as the discussions with companies and institutions that did not consider some ideas feasible and first had to be convinced. With success, as the Managing Director emphasized, because the savings figures confirm the renovation path.
This topic was then also discussed by Gerd Kunze, master craftsman of the district, Prof. Dr. Thomas M. Cerbe from the Institute for Traffic Management at Ostfalia and Jan Holzenbecher, climate protection manager for the city of Salzgitter. The event was moderated by Patrick Nestler, Managing Director of the Regional Energy Agency.
The district master craftsman made it clear that the companies in the district craftsmen's association offer many opportunities. The companies are well positioned to answer questions about refurbishment and potential savings; many companies now have an energy consultant. Citizens can find out about the options offered by individual companies on the district craftsmen's association website.
The city of Salzgitter also relies on information, advice and education. Jan Holzenbecher, climate protection manager for the city of Salzgitter, reported on the "Clever heating" advisory service, which 82 citizens used to have their heating checked. The "Solar Check" was equally well received: a neutral energy expert evaluated this option for generating energy. Further campaigns are to follow in order to make a contribution to climate protection, which will also enable citizens to save money.
The financial aspect also played a role in the discussion on electromobility. Prof. Dr. Thomas M. Cerbe from the Institute for Traffic Management at Ostfalia is convinced that there will already be an attractive range of affordable electric cars on the market from 2020/2021. Consumers will then increasingly buy these cars if the price, range and infrastructure are right.
Gerd Kunze emphasized that the discussion should focus on what strategies there are for the enormous traffic density. The problems are a lack of parking spaces and high traffic density in cities. The evening was accompanied musically by the band Elisar from Salzgitter.
Information: Under the motto "Generating, supplying and using energy efficiently", the city and its project partners are offering a varied program of lectures, hands-on activities and practical examples with an exchange of experiences until 27 October. Many project partners will be presenting themselves and providing information about their offers at the town hall in Lebenstedt.