Electricity cannot replace all forms of energy, says Lamia Messari-Becher. In the short term, the highly qualified expert for environmental issues and building technology recommends that private households go into the boiler room.
Lamia Messari-Becher is a civil engineer and professor of building technology and building physics at the University of Siegen and has in the past served both on the Federal Government’s Advisory Council on Environmental Issues and as part of the Future Construction Science Committee of the Federal Ministry of Construction. “Germany has made serious mistakes in energy policy. What we need is a diversified energy transition, storage technology, storage infrastructure and a real heat transition,” she comments on the current situation in an interview with manager magazin.
Messari mug: Heating systems are often not set correctly
The goal must be to produce electricity, heat and fuel in a climate-neutral way and to think bigger – that is, not just looking at individual buildings, but entire districts as units. But households now have to deal with high energy prices and are expecting high electricity and gas bills this fall and winter. Many people buy electric fan heaters so that they can only pay the somewhat low (but also high) electricity prices instead of the skyrocketing gas prices.
Messari-Becher says very clearly: Electricity cannot replace all forms of energy. She recommends that private households go into the boiler room for a short time. “Around 25 percent of the heat energy could be saved just by going to the boiler room. Many systems are not optimally set up – which a tradesman could easily fix,” says the expert.
From resource consumption to resource use
In the medium term, increasing the recycling rate is the best solution. Regarding the heat transition itself, she says: “We don’t have to completely rethink the world, but rather correct our way of doing business: away from resource consumption and towards resource use. That means using materials as sparingly as possible and always returning them to the cycle.”
Messari-Becher is not the only energy expert with tips for this fall and winter. According to the North Rhine-Westphalia Consumer Center, it is relatively easy to reduce the power consumption of computers and laptops and, similar to the boiler room, there is also the perfect setting for the refrigerator. The Rhineland-Palatinate Consumer Center recommends to the Tagesschau to keep the refrigerator at seven degrees and the freezer at -18 degrees. Temperatures that are just one degree Celsius lower could consume around six percent more electricity. Also speaking to the Tagesschau, ADAC spokesman Jürgen Grieving recommends driving slower: “You can save fuel by driving as evenly as possible. Frequent acceleration increases fuel consumption, as do high speeds. In general, the faster I drive, the higher the consumption.” With the right driving style you can save up to 20 percent fuel.
Editorial team finanzen.net