Institutions serious about their social and ecological responsibilities must think big. And this is particularly true about savings in the areas of technology and energy.
In as early as 2006, The National Theatre initiated an ambitious – an in the Czech context even extraordinary – energy-saving project which has since expanded to include many of its stages and properties. The goal of the project is to lower the consumption of natural gas, electricity, and water, and to use as much renewable energy as possible. The motivation behind the project was the realization that 25 years afrer the general reconstruction of the historic building and the extension of The National Theatre, the current technologies were starting to age and needed to be replaced. Coincidentally, this has resulted in measures that are also environmentally friendly.
In 2006, The National Theatre in Prague, along with the energy company ENESA, embarked on an ambitious project with the goal of drastically and permanently reducing the consumption of natural gas, electricity, and water, but also replacing current energy sources with renewable ones (solar energy and the energy of the Vltava River).
For more detailed info on this particular project, see the website uspornedivadlo.cz.
Also downloadable as PDF Savings INFOGRAPHICS (13 MB).
The modernization of The National Theatre’s energy management, implemented in 2007, helped bring energy costs down by more than 50%. Its goal was not just to replace outdated technology, but also to interconnect and tune the technology systems in a way that would unlock the full potential of the modernization. What used to be redundant heat is now used to heat the utility water. Our cooling machine can also serve as a heat pump using the Vltava River as a source of heat or cold (according to the weather and user preference). It can also automatically transfer heat from the sunniest rooms to other, colder rooms. The warm and stuffy air from the auditorium is used to heat new fresh air pumped into the room, the flow of which is automatically regulated by CO2 sensors in the halls. Separate regulation systems enable different levels of lighting and heating in different rooms based on their current occupancy and use, all while facilitating adequate comfort.
Thorough energy management ensures optimal operation conditions and maximal savings. All data is consistently analysed, and the provider sends continual feedback and recommendations for improvements in the system. In 2018, the project’s final evaluation took place. In addition to being a major step towards sustainability, i.e., facilitating major savings in natural gas, electricity and water consumption and the transition to eco-friendly technologies, within just 10 years, the investment has been repaid from the money saved on energy cost, on top of further savings adding up to 18 million CZK.