In line with global efforts to reduce carbon emissions, the Danish municipality of Odense is working to become carbon neutral by 2025. As part of the effort, the Energy Lean initiative was launched – the project focuses on renovating 244 municipal buildings to energy efficiency. To provide sustainability consultancy support the municipality has tapped the expertise of Ramboll.
Odense Municipality, in a bid to reduce its carbon emissions by 100% by 2025, has developed a number of projects to make the municipality’s energy use more efficient. The projects are beginning to take effect, and, since 2013, the municipality has managed to reduce its CO2 emissions in the municipal buildings by 40%. One of the major projects is the Energy Lean project, whereby 244 municipal buildings are to be renovated to make them more energy efficient.
To support the municipality to reach its efficiency goals in the Energy Lean project, Ramboll was commissioned. The consultancy firm worked on developing the actions required, and their economic consequences, to create the most energy-efficient solutions for the buildings involved in the project.
One of the most impressive building transformations, as part of the wider project, was the renovation of the sports centre and in particular the two ice-skating rinks. The major target for renovation was the lighting system used in the sports centre and ice-skating rinks. The consultancy recommended the deployment of an LED lighting system which, in addition to requiring almost no maintenance and paying for itself in terms of efficiency gains, also offers dynamic lighting – allowing for improved lighting conditions that are better able to capture events unfolding on the ice for television.
According to a statement by the firm, “The new lighting installation makes it possible for TV2 Sport to show an ice-hockey puck in super-slow-motion, even though the puck is moving at over 100 km/hour.” Jesper Stougaard, Senior Consultant at Ramboll, adds, "I've been in almost all of Denmark’s ice rinks, and there is not a similar system."
Jesper Stougaard, Senior Consultant at Ramboll, explains that "The sports centre is a facility, which is right at the top of what is currently available, and this both Odense and Rambøll can be proud of.” The firm has worked with the municipality on 236 of the 244 buildings being developed as part of the Energy Lean project.