- In a four-month energy-saving challenge starting on October 1, all student residences in Landau, Germersheim, Ludwigshafen and Worms with 971 places will be competing against each other to save energy.
- The Studierendenwerk supports the nationwide energy campaign "Flip the Switch" of the Deutsches Studentenwerk.
- DSW Secretary General Matthias Anbuhl: The Studierendenwerke need more state aid in order to limit rent increases in their dormitories
Energy is becoming more and more expensive. Price increases of up to 300 percent compared to last year are being predicted in the media for this winter. We have already seen an increase of 100 to 150 percent. Of course, this also affects the 971 tenants of the 7 student residences of the Studierendenwerk in Landau, Germersheim, Ludwigshafen and Worms. "We have decided to absorb the energy price increases for our tenants until the end of 2022, but then we will have no other choice: the ancillary costs of all tenants will increase by at least 30 euros from January 1, 2023," says Andreas Schülke - Managing Director of the Studierendenwerk - explaining the financial situation. "We are more than skeptical that this increase will be sufficient in the long term. The forecasts and price trends of recent months clearly speak a different language."
This is why the Studierendenwerk has now declared energy to be a "top priority": "As a company, we are examining every potential saving and our tenants must also be aware that the time for wasting energy is definitely over. Every kilowatt hour that is now consumed unnecessarily has a direct negative impact on residents' utility bills. We have to pass on further price increases in the energy sector 1:1."
The Studierendenwerk itself has no financial means to absorb the higher costs for students. Although it can provide money from its own relief fund in cases of extreme hardship, these funds have been very limited for years.
The Deutsches Studentenwerk - the umbrella organization of all German student unions - is therefore calling for
"The Studierendenwerke need more financial support from the federal states very quickly so that they do not have to pass on the enormous price increases for energy and food to the students - in the form of greatly increased rents in the student residences and more expensive food - in the canteens. Having to do this goes against the 'DNA' of the Studierendenwerke, whose mission as non-profit organizations is to provide students with affordable housing and affordable food as well as possible."
"We believe that saving energy is a task for society as a whole and an act of solidarity. With the Energy Saving Challenge from October to January 2023 in the dormitories, we want to bring this idea to life and reward the winning dormitory with the Energy Saving Champion Award and a party paid for by us in the new year," explains Schülke. "Whoever saves the most kilowatts per capita during this period wins."
You can find all the information about the DSW's "Flip the Switch" campaign here:
- https://www.studentenwerke.de/content/%E2%80%9Eflip-switch%E2%80%9C-studierendenwerke-starten
- https://www.myenergychallenge.de/
Or about the energy-saving challenge on the Studierendenwerk homepage and social media channels:
- https://stw-vp.de/de/
- https://www.facebook.com/stwvp /
- https://www.instagram.com/stwvp/
- https://twitter.com/stwvp
Contact:
Thomas Mosthaf
Head of Communications
Studierendenwerk Vorderpfalz
https://stw-vp.de/de/
