Saving Heat

Lowering the room temperature by 1°C saves 6% of heating energy. 2°C result in 12%, 3°C bring 18% hence. In the reference year of 2018, the room temperature at TU Dortmund University was at 21°C on average. In the winter of 2022/23, the temperature permitted as maximum was 19°C.

In winter 2023/24, offices and seminar rooms may be heated to 20°C, but not higher. In the previous heating period, the German Energy Saving Ordinance (EnSikuMaV) had set the temperature at 19°C exceptionally to avert a gas shortage.

In the evening, the room temperature at TU Dortmund University is automatically lowered by approx. 3°C by the building control system. In winter 2023/24, the night mode turns on at 6 pm. This is two hours earlier than it used to be for years, but still one hour later than it was the case due to the crisis mode in 2022/23. Learning workplaces for students are exempt from the rule.

On Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, the heating system will continue to be in night mode during daytime. Workplaces for students are exempt from this rule.

Hallways and other passageways do not get heated to 20°C in winter 2023/24, but remain cooler. Please keep your door to the hallway closed during the heating season so that heat does not escape there. A protective temperature is ensured, unlike in the winter of 2022/23, when such rooms were not allowed to be heated at all under the terms of the Federal Energy Saving Ordinance (EnSikuMaV).

Some of the heating and cold water pipes on the North Campus will be renewed by the end of 2026. TThe new pipes are designed in such a way that the hot water only has to be heated to 80 °C in advance instead of over 120 °C as before. This will save up to 1,150 tons of CO₂ per year, which corresponds to 10% of the emissions generated by the university's heating and cooling supply in 2022.

If hallways are cooler in the winter, cold gaps can develop at leaking interior doors. Please report poorly closing doors to the janitor team. This way, it can be checked whether e.g. self-adhesive door brushes can provide a solution. 

In cold weather, please do not leave windows tilted open; instead, insert shock vents as needed. Report defective windows that do not close properly to the janitor team. In the Emil-Figge-Library, TU Dortmund University employees can borrow CO2 measuring devices during the service hours from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, that can be used to determine when a room should be ventilated.

Please set the thermostats down so that a maximum of 20°C is reached in the office. Depending on the model, this is e.g. level 2.5. Before you switch to the home office, set the heating to 1.5. This way, your room will not cool down completely.

How do the thermostats in your office need to be set to reach 20°C? Measure it. In the Emil-Figge-Library, employees of TU Dortmund University can borrow thermometers during the service hours from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.