Holding & Services Segment

Building management

In the interest of a sustainable and resource-optimised building, all larger new buildings, conversions and extensions of Energie AG Group in Austria (with the exception of the Waste Management Segment) have been made to comply with climate-friendly building standards since fiscal year 2020/2021. In addition to securing highly attractive jobs, this is also implemented in anticipation of the Taxonomy Regulation-relevant requirements for real estate assets.

Energie AG has placed its focus firmly on its employees and their well-being at the workplace. This is why modern energy concepts for the various sites are planned and implemented in addition to Energie AG proactively exercising operator responsibility in accordance with ÖNORM B1301 (property and building safety).

Together with other prominent Austrian companies and corporate groups, Energie AG again participated in a building benchmarking during the 2022/2023 fiscal year. Among other things, the result from the 2021/2022 fiscal year clearly document the pioneering character of the included buildings with respect to economic operations and efficiency. Building techniques used for the PowerTower, such as the facade or component activation technique, were also used in the construction of the tower's extension, which conformed with the standard promulgated by the Austrian Society for a Sustainable Real Estate Economy (ÖGNI). In addition to health-oriented and modern workplaces, Energie AG employees also have access to flexible meeting facilities, socialising zones and a state-of-the-art “conference level”. Living up to its social responsibility, Energie AG also runs a childcare facility for the children of employees at its Linz site. The PowerTower annexe has been recognised as Platinum standard, the highest award in the German Sustainable Building Council system of the Austrian Society for Sustainable Real Estate (ÖGNI).

As of 30 September 2023, administration buildings in Austria owned by Energie AG (with the exception of the Waste Management Segment) had seven PV systems (previous year: four) with an output of around 545 kWp (previous year: 344 kWp) and an average yearly production of 550 MWh installed on their roofs (previous year: 317 MWh). These PV plants have an approximate module surface of 3,200 square metres (previous year: 2,400). A further nine new systems with 730 kWp bottleneck capacity are planned between now and the year 2027.

The building yard project in Gmunden (PSG-PowerService Gmunden) was planned in accordance with climate-friendly standards. Work up to and including furnishing was carried out in the 2022/2023 fiscal year; occupancy followed in November 2023.

Energie AG is firmly committed to a sustainable real estate strategy for its properties in Austria. The up-to-date energy certificate for each property is complemented by an energy monitoring report (not applicable to the Waste Management Segment). The report recapitulates the status quo with regard to the CO₂ footprint of the subject matter real estate portfolio. Various scenario calculations formed the basis on which measures were derived that will also be reflected in the Group's sustainability action to be seen in the years ahead. One of these measures involves a full switchover to LED lighting at the PowerTower Linz, which will be completed during 2024 – 2025.

The issue of security came under the spotlight in the 2022/2023 fiscal year, partly because of events on the energy market. In response, a project group was set up to devise a Group-wide security plan. The primary aim of this plan is to protect both employees and the various offices, storage facilities and workshops of Energie AG.

Expansion of the training workshop and apprentice accommodation began in the 2022/2023 fiscal year. Alongside the new residential and leisure options, a planned car park will ease the difficult parking situation at the Gmunden site.

Staff catering

The company restaurants and canteens of Energie AG in Linz, Gmunden, Timelkam and Riedersbach have placed an even stronger focus on the use of regional and seasonal fresh produce. Direct partnerships with regional suppliers of produce and meat continue to be sought out and established with increased intensity. In the 2022/2023 fiscal year, the canteens prepared a total of 182,319 fresh servings of food for employees (previous year: 136,567). The increase compared to the 2021/2022 fiscal year underlines the quality of food on offer. In the interest of a balanced diet, the menus also feature vegetarian meal options. The pilot project “Veganuary” (vegan January) was also launched in January 2023. In response to its strong popularity, the initiative was extended to February and vegan alternatives were also permanently added to the breakfast buffet, making it more sustainable and varied. A quarter of all lunches served are vegetarian. The menu planning system is evaluated regularly with the aim of preventing or minimising food waste. The company canteen in Linz is also very popular with the staff of Netz OÖ GmbH, who have transferred from the new building section to the PowerTower annexe.

IT services

To reduce electronic waste, the useful life of user devices such as laptops and PCs was increased to five years. Once the equipment has reached the end of its useful life, a sheltered workshop performs a certified data deletion and refurbishes the device. When looking for devices, the Company relies on a supplier that is reducing its CO₂ footprint in terms of lifecycles or compensates for this through appropriate measures.

Efficiency gains and energy consumption reductions are the predominant objectives in the operation of the data centre. The virtualisation of over 95% of the server network has led to significant savings in electricity consumption, air conditioning and hardware resources. Additionally, the exhaust warm air is used to heat the building.

The use of central multi-function devices delivers savings in consumables such as toner and ink, which in turn save money and resources. Relocating the printers to central collection points is improving the air quality for office workplaces.