“There is still a lot to be done for the energy transition.” This was underlined by Ebersberg District Administrator Robert Niedergesäß (CSU) when he welcomed the guests who had met in the old town passage on a sunny Monday afternoon. Mayors, climate protection managers, district administrators and a few more had gathered to celebrate the inauguration of the new offices of the Ebersberg-Munich energy agency – Corona-compliant and, thanks to the beautiful late summer weather, mainly outside of these rooms. Pavilions, beer benches and bar tables took up part of the pedestrian zone. A catering company provided the guests with cold drinks and small snacks. But guided tours through the premises were also possible, and a corresponding hygiene concept had been drawn up for this. In addition to Niedergesäß, the district administrator of the Munich district, Christoph Göbel (CSU), and Ebersberg’s mayor Uli Proske (independent) also praised the move to the center of the district town.
“We were too big for the old office space”, Willie Stiehler, managing director of the energy agency, explained the move. 16 employees have been working in the new premises since July 1st. In addition, they want to become more visible and “fill the complex topic of climate change with life,” emphasized Stiehler. There were hardly any walk-in customers in the previous rooms in the post office building. At the new location, passers-by should now be encouraged to stop through the large shop windows facing the pedestrian zone. The direct connection to the pedestrian zone ensures that those seeking advice can be reached more easily.
The basic task of the energy agency is to provide citizens with advice, for example when it comes to questions of climate efficiency. Other target groups are the municipalities and companies. Here, too, the energy agency takes on an advisory role. It is supported by the two districts of Ebersberg and Munich. “We have recognized that we are stronger together and that new ideas can arise through cooperation,” said Niedergesäß, describing the merger.
In his address he also addressed the humble beginnings of the energy agency. In 2014 it still consisted of two people who shared a room in the district office. The move to the building of the Kreissparkasse was not that easy, the district administrator mentioned that too. The city council was initially against the plans, no office should move into the rooms intended for retail space. After a revision it was finally voted in favor, nothing stood in the way of the move.
The rooms are modern and transparent, in the two meeting rooms you can see the old town passage through large windows. The energy-saving village, a group game, is located in another, larger meeting room. Angelika Bachmann, an employee of the energy agency, explained the idea behind the village: “It’s about dealing with the arguments of the other side in a dialogue about climate efficiency and looking for a solution together.” It is a large table that is a pure play area and is equipped with individual electrical parts. These can be attached to the surface and represent wind turbines or solar cells, for example.
Bachmann demonstrated, for example, how electricity consumption would change if light bulbs were replaced by LEDs. The consequences of the conversion can be followed on a projector. “The simulation should clarify the effect of one’s own actions,” she said. Citizens groups or onlookers are invited to come over and try out. “We can only achieve the climate change together,” added Bachmann, “together the goal can be achieved.”
The major goal of the energy agency is to make the district of Ebersberg free of fossil and other finite energy sources by 2030. “There is still a lot to be done,” said Stiehler, but the subject is beginning to “breathe”. By this he meant the increased media presence and the growing political discourse on the subject of climate protection. Brochures are displayed in the large shop windows and there are occasional exhibitions, such as the energy-saving village, to arouse the interest of passers-by. “With the increased visibility we want to internalize the climate change among the citizens,” said the head of the energy agency. The prognoses of science are devastating, “something has to be done”.