“Do you actually know how much you pay for electricity each month?” Asks Dirk Vollers the visitors to the Sprachtreff in Erda. Most of the almost 20 refugees and locals are not entirely sure. “And what do you think your electrical appliances use up?”, He wants to know further.

Dirk Vollers is part of the Caritas Wetzlar electricity saving team. With their project “Electricity saving check” they want to support people with low income. The project team consists mostly of the long-term unemployed, who are being trained as ‘energy savers’. Vollers explains the course of the project to those present at the Sprachtreff: a free appointment is arranged with the energy-saving team, two helpers come by and measure the power usage of electrical appliances and lamps. Following this, a personal energy-saving plan is drawn up, which shows exactly where one can save electricity. Furthermore included is a gift package with energy saving items such as energy saving light bulbs or a water saving shower head.

The visitors were astounded by how much electricity could be saved: Vollers worked with them to calculate the average electricity consumption and the associated costs for various electrical devices. Washing machines and flow heaters in particular are real power hogs. When it turns out that cell phones consume only minimal amounts of electricity, the refugees breathe a sigh of relief, because for many it is the only way to keep in touch with family and friends at home.

But what about a laptop? And what can I do if the heating and hot water processing are operated electrically? The visitors drilled Dirk Vollers with these and similar questions after his lecture. At the end of the evening there was still time to explore the energy-saving gifts or to sign up for a free consultation.

You can read more about the Caritas project at: www.stromspar-check.de.

Text and photo: Judith Schumacher