A lot of money is spent on electricity at the University of Augsburg. Here are a few tips for saving electricity that are easy and effective to implement.
 

• Bye, bye stand-by! If a device is on stand-by and not completely switched off, it continues to consume electricity. If you take a break, then give your office equipment a break too! This saves electricity and protects the equipment.
   
• Out of the office? Turn it off. We also recommend switching off workstation equipment, such as PCs, notebooks, printers, etc. If you do not need to use the equipment for a long period of time, e.g., overnight, switch it off.
   
• No electric fan heaters or small air conditioners: Electric fan heaters and small air conditioners are enormous energy wasters. These devices should therefore not be used at the university.
   
• Do not boil more water than you need: With electric kettles, energy consumption mainly depends on the amount of water that is heated and the required water temperature. Therefore, do not heat more water than you actually need.
   
• Every step counts: Use the lift. Every use of the lift consumes electricity. Taking the stairs can help to keep you fit and replace the gym.
   
• Turn the lights off, let the sunshine in: The university only uses energy-saving light sources, which means that lighting accounts for only a small share of our electricity costs. Nevertheless, energy can still be saved with lighting. The question is not only which lamps are used but also how many.
  Drawn curtains and artificial light are neither good for employees nor for the electricity bill. If you rely on daylight and constantly switch off the lights, you are already saving a lot of energy. Remember to switch off the lights if you are not at your workplace for a long period of time. Office furniture is not afraid of the dark! The same applies to adjoining rooms such as storerooms. When leaving, please switch off the lights!  The myth that frequent switching on and off of lights is detrimental to lighting and increases electricity consumption no longer applies since the ban on incandescent light bulbs. Switching off lighting saves electricity!
   
• Only print when you need to: If you want to save electricity and paper at the same time, you should only print something when it is really necessary and only switch on the scanner and printer when you need to print or scan something. In the meantime, almost everything can be done digitally anyway.

Please do not open the windows in rooms with ventilation or air conditioning systems or leave the doors open. The ventilation system will be interrupted and will keep running without effect. Neither heating nor cooling will be able to keep the room at the right temperature resulting in unpleasant room temperatures, not to mention unnecessary financial expense.

A lot of energy is consumed each year to keep the rooms warm. Refraining from thoughtlessly consuming energy can save a lot of money, without sacrificing comfort.
 

• Pleasant room temperature? A room temperature of about 20 °C should be sufficient at any time of the year; if necessary, a thick jumper and warm shoes will help you feel more comfortable. If the room temperature is too high, do not regulate it by opening the windows but by adjusting the radiator valves accordingly. Setting 3 should maintain a temperature of approx. 20 °C.
• Periodic ventilation: Do not let heat out of the window! If the windows are constantly left open, heat is lost. Fully opening the windows for 5 to 10 minutes, preferably with a draught, brings oxygen into the room without cooling it down (periodic ventilation).
• Unoccupied rooms: In rooms that are not used very often or only occasionally, heating does not have to be turned up to full the entire time. During longer absences (e.g., holidays, home office, or at night), the room temperature should be reduced using the radiator valve. Every degree lower saves about 6% in heating costs.
• Venting radiators: Noises in the radiator indicate that the heating system needs to be vented. Please inform Referat V/4- Maschinentechnik.
• Do not obscure radiators: Radiators are often obstructed by office furniture, which means that the heated air cannot circulate properly, and the thermostatic valves are thus ineffective.
• Closing corridor doors: Even though open doors in the corridor are practical and enable easy passage through the building, closing corridor doors is an efficient energy-saving measure. If corridor doors remain closed, cold air cannot move through the whole building. So please close corridor doors in winter.