Energy saving

Not so long ago, Chemnitz was named Germany's solar capital for 2022 by Wirtschaftswoche and others. And ahead of Freiburg, Münster and Munich.

In terms of installed solar power, Berlin generates the most solar energy overall. More area, more power. Logical. However, Wirtschaftswoche put this in relation to the number of inhabitants, i.e. how much power is produced per capita. And here Chemnitz is the front runner with 0.293 megawatts per 1000 inhabitants. It is striking that Münster, the first major city in western Germany, is only in fourth place. So is eastern Germany the Mecca of solar energy?

The people of Chemnitz themselves contribute to this result by installing private systems, but the now numerous photovoltaic systems (PVS) on municipal buildings are also a significant factor. If we add up the collector areas on the roofs of municipal primary schools (including Südlicher Sonnenberg), daycare centres (including Kita Schlossstraße) and the vocational school centre (Technik III) alone, we arrive at 873.8 square metres, which corresponds to a theoretical energy gain of 131,500 kilowatt hours.

This amount could cover the electricity requirements of the paternoster in the town hall for around ten years, run the Chemnitz zoo for 3.2 months, heat up the sauna in the municipal swimming pool for around four months or give you 394,500 minutes of hot showers at home.

If you want to do the maths again: To generate 1 kWh, you would have to cycle for ten hours or burn 100 millilitres of petrol. And now take a look at your last utility bill and the kilowatt hours consumed for a year. No wonder people are increasingly focussing on home solar systems, is it? And Chemnitz is leading by example!

The fact is that photovoltaics is becoming increasingly important and has become an indispensable alternative to oil and gas, for which urban areas are being continuously expanded. And not just in Chemnitz.

After a long break of two years, the time has finally come this year: the Chemnitz Christmas market is opening its doors again. 148 traders, 141 of them from the region.

Someone has even travelled to Chemnitz from Finland. They line up between a twelve-metre-high Christmas pyramid, a 200-kilogram candle arch, a large, rotating music box, traditional figurines, an Erzgebirge village, Chemnitz Monastery Christmas and, last but not least, a 25-metre spruce tree. And what do all these things have in common? That's right! They shine in a cosy, Christmassy light! If you add up all the (municipal and private) huts and the named attractions, you get a total of around 16,000 lights.

The difference: in 2022, almost all 16,000 light bulbs were replaced with energy-saving LEDs. While the incandescent bulbs still had an output of seven or fifteen watts, each LED now has an output of just 0.6 watts. With a burning time of 35 days, this means a saving of around 100,000 kilowatt hours or almost 35 tonnes of carbon dioxide.
Enormous, isn't it?

Of course, some light bulbs are still visible at the Christmas market. This is either because they have been overlooked or because the city cannot decide on the light sources used by private hut owners.

The fact is, however, that those who switch can save costs, which is why sooner or later only LEDs will be visible.

Here are a few more figures: I'm sure everyone has heard about the new Abrafaxe crockery and the orange mulled wine cup. A total of 83,000 cups were washed in 2018. In 2019, the people of Chemnitz drank 133,000 litres of mulled wine. Even more enormous, right? The Chemnitz Christmas market starts on 25 November at 4 pm and traditionally on the eve of the 1st Advent, on 26 November at 2 pm, the Great Mountain Parade takes place.

Many people know it - the paternoster in Chemnitz town hall. Paternoster (translated as "Our Father"), or mockingly also known as a civil servant's excavator, is a revolving lift. It was invented in England in 1876, initially for transporting parcels, and then in 1882 as a passenger lift.

The paternoster in the town hall dates back to 1982 and was put back into operation in 2018 after a long period of inactivity.
The principle: individual cabins suspended from two chains travel in continuous circulation. At the upper and lower turning points, these are transferred to the other lift shaft through large discs, creating an apparently flowing movement. A paternoster therefore saves space and transports goods relatively quickly.

Disadvantages: Unlike a lift, it cannot transport heavy loads. In addition, due to its open design, the ride can certainly involve risks. But above all, it is neither barrier-free nor overly energy-efficient. The paternoster in the town hall alone consumes 1,000 kilowatt hours every month with a daily running time of ten hours. That's 12,000 kilowatt hours a year. Which is not exactly favourable given the current electricity prices. Why is the paternoster in Chemnitz Town Hall no longer running?

For some time now, Chemnitz residents have been asking us why the paternoster is no longer running. The answer: Because its operation requires a considerable amount of energy. It is simply not very favourable. As a result, it remains out of service (again) for an indefinite period. And why this parallel to the Latin "Our Father"? Because the cabins on the conveyor belts are reminiscent of a rosary.

The fact is that energy can be saved very easily in many places. It starts with switching off a power strip, continues with closing windows when heating and ends with switching off a paternoster.

The fewer kilowatt hours on the utility bill, the better. For the economy, for tenants and, above all, for your wallet.
But what exactly is a kilowatt hour?

First and foremost, a kilowatt hour is 1000 watts. Watt measures the electrical power, i.e. the energy used within one second. This goes back to the Scottish inventor and scientist James Watt (1736 to 1819). When we talk about a kilowatt hour, we are talking about how many thousands of watts are consumed in one hour.

To generate one kilowatt hour, we need to cycle for ten hours. After cycling, it is then possible to wash a load of laundry at 60 degrees, keep an LED lit for 60 hours or cook a relaxed meal. The situation is different when showering or driving a car, for example: Here, we only need three minutes of hot water or 1.7 kilometres with a combustion engine or six kilometres with an electric car - a lot of input for relatively little output.

In Germany alone, we consume between 80 and 120 kilowatt hours per capita every day. Compared to Canada with 280 kilowatt hours and Bangladesh with 10 kilowatt hours, we are pretty much in the middle of the pack in Germany, followed by the UK, Poland and China.

The fact is that energy can be saved very easily in many places. It starts with switching off a power strip, continues with closing windows when heating and ends with using less hot water.