University of Hamburg Business School
University of HamburgBusiness School
Energy Lunch at the Business SchoolDiscussion on energy consumption and sustainable measures
5 May 2026
Photo: UHH
District heating consumption in Q1 at the School of Business Administration
During an “Energy Lunch,” Prof. Simone Neumann, the representative for sustainability at the School, reviewed the energy consumption of the House of Business Administration with the participants and discussed incentives for energy conservation.
Prof. Simone Neumann, Professor of Sustainable Logistics and Mobility Systems, organized the first-ever Energy Lunch in her role as Sustainability Officer at the School.
To kick off the event, participants were treated to a quiz on the topic of energy: For example, did you know that the share of renewable energy in public electricity generation in Germany stood at 53 percent in the first quarter of 2026?
Following this, participants gained insights into the energy consumption of the building on Moorweidenstraße through the visualization of electricity and district heating data from recent years using Power BI. For the building on Moorweidenstraße, district heating consumption in the first quarter of this year was approximately 120,000 kWh, which corresponds to the annual consumption of about 20 average households. It is also evident that energy consumption depends heavily on the average outdoor temperature. Thus, while energy consumption in the first quarter of this year is high compared to previous years, the average outdoor temperature is also comparatively low. The event was complemented by a brief presentation by Jesse Brunkhorst, Head of Energy Management at the University of Hamburg, who broadened the perspective to the entire university and demonstrated how the topic of energy efficiency is being addressed beyond the School. For example, an incentive system designed to reward environmentally friendly energy use and a concept for expanding photovoltaics at the university were presented.
In a concluding discussion, the participants agreed that gamification can be a good motivational incentive. For example, one could be rewarded for using the stairs instead of the elevator.
