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Energy Debt Prevention
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Since January 2008, the poverty prevention section of the authority's social welfare department has been offering benefit recipients and low-income earners access to a free energy consulting service. Advice is provided over a period of three to six months by qualified specialists who have been specially briefed to cater to the particular demands of the target group.
By co-operating closely with people in less fortunate situations, response to the project has been good, and more than 170 households have already made use of the advisory service. In 80% of homes, the energy consultants identified savings potentials in household appliance and entertainment system usage. In 60%, energy savings could also be made through altering heating habits or lighting. The first significant results are currently being reviewed by a scientific support team. The project, which is currently set to run for three years, is being supported by N-ERGIE, the "Soziale Stadt" ("Social City" programme), the authority's environment department and housing associations.
Picture credit: City of Nuremberg
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Extension of the Public Transport System:
The U3, Nuremberg's Automated Underground Service
Extension of the public transport network is a central element of the city of Nuremberg's 2010/ 2020 climate protection travel plan. The new U3 line of the underground service is the first to be fully automated in Germany, meaning it is faster, more flexible and more profitable. When completed, the U3 line will connect a further 100,000 people to the rail network, with service at first possible at intervals of every 100 seconds. All underground transport can be managed reliably and inexpensively from a central control centre. During travel from one station to the next, the most energy-optimal journey profile will be calculated. The electronic control interface will then accelerate and brake accordingly - and much more smoothly than a human driver - resulting in less load peaks in the network. Moreover, improved synchronisation of the automatic trains' timetables with one another means braking energy that is generated can be fed back into the network and used by another train for its start-up procedure.
This can lead to reductions in energy requirements by up to 10%. When the planned network is fully complete, the U3 underground line is expected to allow for CO2 savings of around 16,000 tons per year.
Picture credit: VAG-Claus Felix
