save energy and resources is important, so that we can protect our environment – this statement would probably agree with most of the people. However, in the implementation of such projects, we all fail daily. The shows currently very impressive, a look at Germany’s Bicycle paths. Now, in the autumn they are again quite empty – presumably it is the most simple cold. This is not you are doubtless aware that the use of a car, the environment is good for.
could succeed, at least in the shower, to behave in a resource-saving, have now shown researchers in a study in the journal “Nature Energy”. For this, they fitted in hotel bathroom with real-time indicators of energy consumption – the people could now read what they consumed while showering. The result is that Although the hotel guests had no financial Benefit, was reduced by the amount of energy consumed by more than eleven percent.
the special feature of the study is that the researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of technology (ETH) Zurich and the University of Bamberg, studied the potential savings to the voluntary test participants, but to hotel guests. These were not aware of being part of a study.
What is clean water worth? Pollutants in bodies of water What is clean water worth?
In six Swiss hotel, the Team visited a total of 265 showers with a digital Kralbet display: This was in 40 percent of the bathroom only the water temperature. In the remaining 60 percent, they showed the consumed quantities of water and energy, as well as a stylized polar bear, who was, depending on the energy consumption, either on a piece of ice, an ice floe or already under water. “We have tested it with and without the polar bear but this made no difference,” says first author Verena from the ETH.
a total of nearly 20,000 Showers from February to April 2016, those hotel guests consumed with the intelligent, real-time display 11.4 percent less energy than the other customers, who saw only the temperature. Per shower process, the consumption decreased from otherwise 1,883 kilowatt-hours 0,215 kilowatt-hours (kWh). “The people have in the shower especially shorter”, explains the economic information scientist deep-Beck.
feedback in real-time
Two of the authors, however, have founded an organization for such real-time power indicator. But they were not involved in the data evaluation is still in the care of the equipment in the hotel rooms. The authors also stressed in their study, regardless of research.
At a wholesale price of 40 Swiss francs (the equivalent of 35 Euro) per device, so the Team calculated, would have paid this cost for Hotels after 2.2 years. They go from a price of 0.128 francs per kWh for Heating the water, a water price to be 3.8 Swiss francs per cubic meter, a fuel consumption of 3.56 litres per shower, and 1.2 showers per day.
The prices are in Germany and Switzerland is comparable to the legal, emphasizes deep Beck. However, the devices at retail are more expensive. Nevertheless, you would make in a private household of a calculator is 2.1 people, after about nine months, at least, if the saving potential for private households, similar to that of hotel guests would be.
joe/dpa
