Rising electricity and gas prices are pushing not only households, but also businesses to economise. ČEZ Group is no exception. Before the coming heating season, the company is planning to save on energy. In terms of non-technological assets, it manages 113 office buildings of various sizes – from the three multi-storey buildings of its headquarters in Prague, to call centres and customer service centres, to small buildings with just a few offices.

One of the key measures will be to reduce the heating temperature, as recommended by the government. On average, there will be a decrease by 2 to 4 degrees centigrade, depending on the type of room: in offices and customer centres where people sit all day, the temperature will be reduced to 20 degrees, whereas in corridors and stairwells, it will drop to 18 to 15 degrees, and some other rooms (e.g., garages, warehouses) will just be tempered or their heating will be stopped altogether. The estimated energy savings could reach almost 15%.

“We strongly feel the situation of people in our country as well as their concerns about the coming winter and whether there will be enough heat for households. That is why we ourselves, as the largest energy company in the country, try not to waste energy, and we also advise people on how to go about it. Reducing the temperature in buildings has an immediate cost-saving effect and requires no additional investment. Moreover, it will not be a dramatic decrease: we will still adhere to all regulations and recommendations of, for example, the World Health Organisation,” said Michaela Chaloupková, Member of the Management Board and head of the Administration Division at ČEZ.

Thanks to a long-term programme to reduce the energy intensity of its buildings, ČEZ has managed to reduce consumption by 16% over the past five years. In the context of the Vision 2030 – Clean Energy for Tomorrow strategy announced last year, ČEZ has set an internal target to reduce energy consumption in buildings by a further 15% by 2027. The company invests an average of CZK 45 million in this area every year. This includes primarily insulation of buildings, replacement of windows, upgraded metering and regulation systems, installation of more efficient lighting, but also replacement of electrical appliances in offices (refrigerators, coffee makers) with more energy-efficient types. ČEZ has also installed modern heat pumps in eight selected buildings and is operating photovoltaic power plants on the roofs of three office buildings and on the grounds of its nuclear and hydroelectric power plants. The company plans to carry on in this trend.

Additional savings will be facilitated by the planned central control system, which will be able to control heating, cooling, water heating, and ventilation and air conditioning in individual buildings more efficiently and economically, by automatic remote means, using modern software. In the pilot phase, 35 offices will be connected to the system, and a gradual expansion is planned.

According to opinion polls, the majority of Czech households plan to save energy in the coming months. ČEZ has responded and has launched, in cooperation with the industry portal TZB-info, the Šetřím.cz website, where everyone can easily find out what energy-saving measures are possible in their house or apartment and how much energy each measure can save. Within a few weeks of its launch, nearly 200,000 visitors had used the web guide.

Examples of ČEZ investments in reducing the energy intensity of buildings:

Office building in Kolín: comprehensive renovations, including insulation, replacement of windows, new heating and cooling – completion this year – total CZK 56 million

Office building in Louny: insulation, photovoltaics on the roof – completion in 2021 - total CZK 8 million  

Office building in Ostrava in Výstavní Street: insulation of the facade and roof, replacement of windows – completion 2021 – total CZK 16 million