Maximum CO2 savings guaranteed: ENGIE Germany implements lighthouse project at Baden community school

For a long time, problems with heating and building services were part of everyday life at the school and sports center in Oberhausen-Rheinhausen, a community of 9,500 people in Baden-Württemberg. Thanks to a holistic approach from ENGIE Deutschland, this is now a thing of the past: The experts for technology, energy and service implement an extended energy-saving contracting scheme at the school, which is unique in its complexity throughout Germany. It combines numerous services and solutions from the portfolio of ENGIE Deutschland and includes the comprehensive modernization of buildings and technical installations. Michael Paschek, project manager for energy management at the ENGIE branch in Stuttgart, explains: "The model offers our customers a whole range of advantages: above all, it reduces the workload of the local building authority and guarantees that the planned savings will be achieved. In short, Oberhausen-Rheinhausen benefits from an all-inclusive package by ENGIE."

Maximum savings guaranteed

Started in spring 2020, planning and rebuilding on site was particularly rapid, as the school and sports center were closed due to the Corona pandemic, and the ENGIE Deutschland team made effective use of this period. Since April 2021, the project has been in its main performance phase - and promises from now on a considerable saving of energy costs: ""For the entire property, i.e. school and sports center, we guarantee huge savings of 41 percent heat, 58 percent electricity and 68 percent CO₂. This both saves the community of Oberhausen-Rheinhausen money and protects the environment," says Michael Paschek. If the projected savings are not achieved, the school will receive a compensation payment from ENGIE Deutschland based on the contractual savings guarantee. The contract has a term of 15 years and includes an investment by ENGIE Deutschland as contractor of approximately 4.5 million euros. The investment is refinanced by the energy costs saved.

All measures from a single source

To ensure that the energy-saving plan succeeds, the ENGIE team coordinated and implemented all the planned modernization measures in the school and sports center from a single source over the past nine months or so. This included all activities relating to building services and special refurbishment activities in the swimming pool - from renovating the changing rooms to replacing the doors and renewing the tiles; but also all conventional energy measures such as the installation of two combined heat and power plants and the renewal of the sanitary, ventilation, electrical and pool water technology in the sports hall and swimming pool. To this end, ENGIE Deutschland worked with various local partners – to the full satisfaction of the municipality of Oberhausen-Rheinhausen.

Exemplary lighthouse project

From the outset, ENGIE Deutschland focused on significantly reducing the CO₂ emissions from buildings and plants – in keeping with the self-initiated mission of "Zero Carbon Transition as a Service". From this point of view too, the project can serve as a model for many other schools. "Whether primary school, community school or high school - the need for modernization and renovation is high. At the same time, the capacity for planning and implementation is scarce in many places. This situation has worsened as a result of the corona pandemic," says Michael Paschek. "As a partner for public institutions, we at ENGIE Deutschland offer the optimal solution for this challenge." This is demonstrated in a special way by the example of the Oberhausen-Rheinhausen school.