Funding Guidelines for Small Theatres

Edited on 27/11/2020

In 2016 the Municipal Energy Agency of the City of Frankfurt published a new guideline for funding efficient energy use in Frankfurt’s small theatres. The funding guideline in this form is unique for a German city. As of August 2020, eleven theatres have applied for and benefited from this funding.

 

Until now, sustainability and energy efficiency have been catchwords which have only rarely appeared in the “repertoire” of cultural facilities. The reasons for this are obvious: cultural facilities have neither the funds needed to finance efficient technology nor sufficiently trained personnel. Potential savings can often be found in lighting, heating, air conditioning and other electrical systems. Another factor is that, unlike SMEs, clubs and non-profit companies are generally excluded from Federal or State funding programmers which sponsor energy counselling and the implementation of energy-saving measures. As a potential local solution, in 2016 the Municipal Energy Agency of the City of Frankfurt published a new guideline for funding efficient energy use in Frankfurt’s small theatres. A funding guideline in this form is unique in Germany

 

The guideline grants a maximum subsidy of 30,000 euros per year for application of technical energy-saving measures and also preliminary energy counselling,funding of up to 80 percent of the counselling costs. Depending on the economic viability of the measure, funding to implement technical measures covers between 30 and 65 percent of the eligible costs. As of August 2020, eleven theatres have applied for the funding guideline, among them the Kellertheater. “We save 50 percent of energy per year thanks to the new climate friendly LED lighting in the theatre”, says Fabian Kania of the Kellertheater. The theatre invested 82,961 Euros in 2017 and 2018 and has been funded with 45,848 Euros (2017 and 2018) by the City of Frankfurt.

Altogether the City of Frankfurt has funded measures with a total investment volume of 180,000 euros up to August 2020. The funding programme has just been extended until 31st December 2021.

 

Climate Protection Goals of the city of Frankfurt

By the year 2050, 100 percent of the energy supply in Frankfurt should be covered by renewables energies. In order to achieve this, the energy consumption has to be reduced by 50 percent compared to 2010. 50 percent of the remaining consumption will be covered by renewable energy provided from sources within the City of Frankfurt itself. The other 50 percent of the energy that the city still needs, will be delivered by renewables from the surrounding Rhein Main region.

 

Weblinks / please note that the link leads to German content

http://www.frankfurt-spart-strom.de/gewerbe/

The Kellertheater Story:

https://www.klimaschutz-frankfurt.de/blog/buehne-im-kellertheater-erstrahlt-klimafreundlichem-led-licht

Submitted by Laura McIntosh on 16/10/2020
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Laura McIntosh

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