Energy savings possible from comfort in trains
Lucerne - Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts has set out in a metastudy how even more energy can be saved from heating, cooling and ventilation of public transport. The study leader also believes that it is time to rethink comfort and energy when it comes to trains.
Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts has investigated options to save energy in public transport. With regard to this topic, the Institute of Building Technology and Energy at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, on behalf of the Swiss Federal Transport Office, is providing an overview of studies that tackle corresponding approaches with regard to heating, cooling and ventilation.
This is because 10 to 40 percent of the energy used by a train, tram or bus during a journey is not used for transportation from A to B, rather for comfort. Stephan Husen, lead expert of the “Energy strategy 2050 in public transport” at the Swiss Federal Transport Office, is quoted in a press release from the university, saying: “Per year, this is around the same amount as the average annual energy consumption of up to 400,000 four-person households in Switzerland.”
According to Urs-Peter Menti, Co-Head of the Institute of Building Technology and Energy, trains have been studied the most across the world. “However, many measures can be carried over to trams and buses.” He adds that transport companies strive to make savings “but there is still potential by all means”. For instance, the idle time of trains can be power-optimized by new technology. And in an interview on the university’s webpage, Menti states that the WLAN signal booster that is now commonplace is made redundant by another type of external window coating.
There he also mentions that he would like to simulate the best possible vehicle with regard to comfort and energy in a computer model. “Passengers’ needs in terms of comfort have changed massively over the past 100 years and I doubt if technical advancements have kept up in all respects. It is about time we rethought the train from a building technology perspective.”
Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts - Press release
