Climate neutrality and energy efficiency are topics you can’t get around these days. At the latest since the presentation of the coalition agreement of our new traffic light government, it has been clear that everything is to be done to stop climate change in the coming decades. As in the private sector, industry must also do its part to protect the climate and combat global warming. An important point is the investment in an environmentally friendly heating system, so that energy efficiency in the company is also required Read in this article, which reasons specifically speak for investing in a new heating system and strive for high energy efficiency in your company.

The pillars of the energy transition and how high energy efficiency in your company supports it

The energy turnaround plays a central role in industry and politics – high energy efficiency in companies as well as in the private sector is targeted. To achieve this, the name of the game is: Away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energies and greater efficiency. The motto with which the energy supply is to be transformed in the coming decades is thus clear. The energy transition is based on the following pillars:

  1. Expansion of renewable energies
  2. Increase energy efficiency in electricity, heating and cooling supply
  3. Increased energy saving

They play a decisive role in determining how hall operators should plan their heating systems in the future: Energy-saving and environmentally friendly, in order to achieve the highest possible energy efficiency in their company. This applies to both new buildings and refurbishment projects. Looking at these pillars, four reasons can be derived from them why you should move towards high energy efficiency in your company as early as possible.

1. numerous subsidies promote energy refurbishment

Particularly when modernizing the energy efficiency of your hall buildings, you can take advantage of numerous support programs and subsidies that pave the way to high energy efficiency in your company. For example, up to 80% of the cost of consulting services provided by an energy advisor is covered. This shows you where there is potential for savings in your company. Whether the measures are technical or structural is the same. This is because the overall energy balance of the building is considered as the basis for assessment. Federal funding opportunities include the Federal Efficient Buildings Grant (BEG) or the Federal Business Energy Efficiency Grant.

2. with high energy efficiency in your company, you pay less CO2-taxes

In order to give consumers an incentive to rely more on renewable energy sources, the CO2 pricing or CO2 tax came into force on 01 January 2021. Starting in 2021, this means that the prices of fossil fuels such as heating oil, liquid and natural gas, coal, gasoline and diesel will rise every year. This is because manufacturers or distributors now have to purchase emission rights, the cost of which they pass on to consumers. This means that anyone who operates their heating system with fossil fuels and does not optimize energy consumption in the process must expect costs to rise. This in turn means that anyone who focuses on high energy efficiency in his or her company will benefit. Efficient, environmentally friendly heating systems that consume little energy and, if possible, are powered by gas, the lowest-carbon fossil fuel, and can be increasingly powered by regenerative sources in the future are the ideal alternative to outdated heating systems here. This way you save heating costs and contribute to climate protection at the same time.

3. energy efficiency in the company is a central component of the energy transition

The Energy Efficiency Strategy 2050 of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy sets clear targets: By 2030, primary energy consumption in Germany is to be reduced by 65 percent compared with 1990. A reduction target of at least 88 percent applies by 2040. Germany is to achieve greenhouse gas neutrality by 2045. The measures for this are bundled in the National Action Plan on Energy Efficiency (NAPE 2.0). “The cleanest and cheapest energy is that which is not consumed in the first place,” is the motto of the energy efficiency strategy. To achieve these goals, Germany wants to drive energy efficiency in companies, especially in the building sector, establish energy efficiency as a return on investment and business model, and increase ownership of energy efficiency.

In summary, this means for you as a hall operator: In the future, you will no longer be able to avoid energy efficiency in your company. Over their entire life cycle, hall heating systems consume around six to twenty times more energy than the investment costs. In view of the total cost of ownership, the rising prices for fossil fuels, and the growing demands on your company’s energy efficiency, it therefore makes little economic sense to invest in conventional heating systems. Therefore, when constructing or renovating your hall buildings, plan for the long term so that you do not have to replace your heating system again in just a few years.

Modern hall heating systems are convincing due to their efficient operation, with which the investment costs are amortized in a very short time. They are therefore worthwhile not only from an energy policy perspective, but also in terms of total cost of ownership. For example, a modern gas-powered infrared heater works so efficiently that you can save up to 70% energy. In addition, industrial heating systems have long been able to be networked with other technologies to maximize energy efficiency for your company: residual heat is used to generate hot water, for example, which can then be used to heat adjacent offices, among other things. Waste heat from production processes can be integrated into the systems, as can energy from solar thermal systems. And one thing is clear: the less energy you let go to waste, the more environmentally friendly your company is.

4. energy efficiency in the company with some self-determination – how the GEG gives you leeway in planning your heating system.

Owners of newly constructed buildings are obliged to use regenerative energies – but in the area of hall buildings, the situation is quite different. This may come as a surprise, because since the EnEV and EEWärmeG were passed in a rush over 10 years ago, the rumor has persisted that there is no way around renewable energies in non-residential buildings either – even though in many cases they were not the most efficient choice.

This supposed requirement is still anchored in the minds of many planners, because the second pillar of the energy turnaround – namely energy efficiency in companies and private buildings – was disregarded by the legislator at the time. The same applies to the fact that hall buildings have completely different physical and heating requirements than multi-story buildings. However, this was gradually remedied with the amendments to the EnEV and EEWärmeG. And most recently in November 2020, when the new Building Energy Act comes into force: the GEG puts the focus on the principle of “efficiency instead of substitution”. From a hall height of 4 m, you do not have to use regenerative energies when operating decentralized heating systems, which in most cases actually leads to higher energy efficiency in your company.

Therefore, when planning your heating system, you have numerous options to make it both environmentally friendly and efficient. And you can do this even with natural gas, a low-carbon fossil fuel, as long as your industrial heating system operates efficiently. This is because this fuel has a good primary energy factor, is increasingly green due to the coming synthesization, and is considered a bridging technology on the way to a climate-neutral future.

Conclusion: There is much to be said for high energy efficiency in the company through environmentally friendly hall heating systems

Especially the energy and cost savings speak for themselves when you think about investing in a modern heating system. In addition, legislation is increasingly urging companies to use environmentally friendly technologies to achieve a high level of energy efficiency in the interests of climate protection. This is additionally supported by numerous funding programs. Therefore, there are no more excuses for an energetic renovation or an environmentally friendly new planning – so don’t wait any longer and go for the highest possible energy efficiency in your company. Tackle the project – KÜBLER will be happy to support you.