Current reports in the media suggest that some universities are already tending towards a digital semester again from October due to the gas shortage. How do you see this?

We cannot allow our students to suffer again. So one thing is certain for me: At HHU, we will not be switching to purely digital teaching again due to the energy shortage unless there is a legal requirement to do so. Saving energy and face-to-face teaching are not mutually exclusive. Seminar rooms and lecture theatres are not the areas of our University with the highest energy requirements. And besides, having everyone sitting in front of their computers in their warm homes would result in significant energy consumption, too.

Nevertheless, HHU will have to impose restrictions. What measures are being taken?

We will of course make efforts to save energy in all areas. Heating, electricity consumption, lighting – everything is being reviewed and new regulations are being defined. We have already initiated a large number of measures and we will be launching a dedicated website on “saving energy at HHU” in the next few days. The site will provide tips on how to use energy efficiently at your workplace and on campus. If you have any further questions or tips, you can contact the mail address directly as soon as the website is launched.

Will it just be a case of implementing measures once or is an ongoing process planned?

In this crisis, too, we will do our best to respond quickly in a way that is appropriate to the situation and take account of the various interests involved. To this end, we have once again established a Task Force involving the faculties. It will meet regularly throughout the autumn and winter as we obviously do not yet know what we will have to face in terms of electricity and heat savings over the coming months.

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The “Ordinance on Securing the Energy Supply via Measures Effective in the Short Term (Verordnung zur Sicherung der Energieversorgung über kurzfristig wirksame Maßnahmen – EnSikuMaV) (German only)” entered into force on 1 September. The core measures resulting from this for HHU are explained in a table provided by the Facility Management Division:

(PDF download – German only)

More interviews from this series (German only and in part only available on the Intranet)