The Erdinger city council has decided on measures to save energy in the future.
Erding – Everyone in Erding will feel the consequences of this city council decision.
Erding is reacting to the German government's order to reduce energy consumption by 20 percent in response to the war in Ukraine and the skyrocketing prices, sometimes with drastic measures.
City master builder Sebastian Henrich and Thomas Kronseder from the building authority presented the individual points to the holiday committee.
The lights will go out in many places in Erding.
Where technically possible and agreed with safety, street lights are dimmed to 70 percent.
"We still need light at intersections and zebra crossings," says Henrich, who reported that the police were critical of this project.
But Henrich also made it clear that a number of lanterns will be switched off completely.
"But we also pay attention to the safety requirements of the population".
In addition, every measure is checked for safety and possible legal consequences.
Energy saving measures: switch to LED lights
Henrich used figures to show that switching to LED lights and controlling them sensibly has enormous savings potential: Since 2019, electricity costs in this area could have been reduced from 440,000 to 280,000 euros.
The lighting is turned off completely for decorative purposes, i.e. on works of art such as the lighthouse in the city park, buildings such as the town hall or the museum, and on the church towers in Erding and Altenerding.
In the future, it will also be dark at night on showcases and information boards.
Erding: Christmas lights remain
Hans Balbach (Erding Now) suggested switching off every second lamp in some places.
That's not technically possible, Kronseder replied.
However, the city councilors do not want to change two things: the Christmas lights and those of the Christmas market will remain untouched.
Mayor Max Gotz (CSU) emphasized that “the electricity requirement here is low anyway”.
You don't want to be a mood killer.
Save energy: the town hall, museum and schools are only heated to 19 degrees
In this context, Gotz continues, one can see "how farsighted our decision was to replace the ice rink at the Christmas market with a plastic system".
Some harsh critics are now welcome to question his words.
Erding is not only getting darker, but also cooler – at least the city buildings.
According to Henrich, the town hall, museum, schools, library and town hall are only heated to a maximum of 19 degrees in winter, the specification of Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens).
Need for discussion: Only cold showers are allowed in the sports halls
In this context, Herbert Maier (Greens) called for the heating settings to be checked.
With just a few simple steps, every household can save a lot of energy.
The decision that only cold showers can be taken in all municipal sports halls should cause a lot of discussion in the clubs.
The only exception: the ice rink, because, according to Stadtwerke Managing Director Christoph Ruthner, it is linked to the heating network of the neighboring swimming pool.
Kronseder told our newspaper that there was no increased risk of contamination from legionella.
"The water is checked regularly, and we can also disinfect it." Nevertheless, school referee Benedikt Hoigt (FW) remained critical.
He thinks it would be better if young people could take a warm shower after school sports.
Corona: Sport was allowed, showering was not
Balbach, however, considered the decision to be justifiable.
“After Corona, sport was allowed again for a while, but not showering.
And the athletes accepted it.”
In the Stadthallen underground car park, the city is reducing the ventilation.
Maier asked if there were motion detectors with lights off here.
Kronseder said no.
The light there is dim anyway.
Maier also suggested including comprehensive parking lot lighting, such as that behind the ice rink, in the savings catalogue.
Erding: Saving energy, even in summer
But Erding will also save energy in the summer and in the light: public green spaces are mowed less often, the number of natural areas with one or two mowings per year will increase, announced Henrich.
Not least as a symbolic act, according to Gotz, Erding will take part in World Earth Day this September and call on everyone to have all the lights go out at the same time.
District Fire Councilor Willi Vogl (CSU) warned, however, "that the simultaneous collective shutdown can also overload the network and cause a blackout".
Erding: "Can already show enormous things."
At the beginning of the debate in the holiday committee, Gotz stated "that we can already show a great deal in terms of energy saving".
A lot has already happened.
But now it must be a matter of "creating facts and not just leaving it at lip service".
All decisions were unanimous.
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