Energy crisis: Bahn wants to motivate employees to save energy with a bonus

With a one-time bonus of at least 100 euros, Deutsche Bahn wants to motivate its employees to save energy at work.

Energy crisis: Bahn wants to motivate employees to save energy with a bonus

With a one-time bonus of at least 100 euros, Deutsche Bahn wants to motivate its employees to save energy at work. "We want all 200,000 employees in Germany to become active, that all small and large levers are pulled in order to achieve significant savings in the end," said HR Director Martin Seiler in Berlin on Tuesday. It's about issues such as lighting, heating, using air conditioning, refueling, "or maybe using the stairs instead of the elevator," said Seiler.

If enough employees get involved and save a lot overall, the bonus could be increased to 150 euros for everyone. Seiler did not say how big the savings would have to be. According to Deutsche Bahn, the incentive system aims to reduce energy consumption in its buildings in particular. It was initially unclear how large the savings potential actually is there.

In view of the impending gas supply bottlenecks, Seiler referred to further measures with which the group intends to save energy. This includes, for example, energy-saving driving in long-distance and regional transport and the replacement of fossil-based heating systems with alternative heating systems. How far the group is on these issues remained open on Tuesday.

Bahn wants to do without outdoor lighting in some cases

In the future, Deutsche Bahn also wants to do without the criticized outdoor lighting of its headquarters, the so-called Bahntower in Berlin. The company is also currently examining the extent to which non-safety-related lighting can be dispensed with in other buildings and train stations.

With around 10 terawatt hours of annual consumption, the railways are the largest consumer of electricity in Germany. According to the annual report, natural gas accounted for more than six percent of the electricity mix last year. More than 20 percent was obtained from lignite and hard coal. The share of renewable energies was around 62 percent.