Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is lowering the heat to save natural gas in response to the current energy crisis in Europe. The airport has announced plans to lower the heat by one degree across its terminals and head office from March 14.
European Energy Crisis
There are a variety of factors that play into the current energy crisis in Europe, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The continent’s dependency on natural gas has been challenged specifically because of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and it is becoming increasingly necessary to look at natural gas consumption in order to conserve usage.
Lowering the Heat
According to a press release from Schiphol, if everyone in the Netherlands lowered their heating by 1 degree, approximately 6% of energy will be saved. “Because of the war in Ukraine, we are willing to become less dependent on natural gas, which is also good for the environment and saves money,” the airport said in the press release. The amount of money saved by conserving natural gas will be donated by Schiphol to Giro 555, a humanitarian aid organisation.
The airport also relies on a heat and cold storage system in its piers and some offices. This system, which stores heat and cold in the ground, allows Schiphol to use even less natural gas to heat and cool its facilities.
Lowering the heat at Schiphol will also help the airport reach its goal of becoming fully circular and energy positive by 2050.
Sustainable Initiatives at Schiphol
In addition to turning down the heat, Schiphol has been hard at work to implement new sustainable initiatives aiming to drive the airport closer to its goal.
The airport has been running entirely on Dutch wind energy since 2018 and has been increasing the use and installation of solar panels, circular seating, sustainable taxiing, and more.
Additionally, the airport has recently trialled the use of electric ground equipment. The hope is that the electric equipment will replace diesel-powered equipment. This is part of Schiphol’s commitment to have an emission-free ground operation at the airport by 2030.
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