The claim

A letter to parents from the Auerhammer elementary school in the Saxon city is agitating: “Room temperature lowered, students should bring seat cushions and cardigans: Mayor of Aue-Bad Schlema is letting our children freeze!”

Our conclusion

The letter is genuine, but the excitement is completely unnecessary. These temperatures apply everywhere in Saxony and the specifications have hardly changed from before the energy crisis.


Letter to parents in Aue-Bad Schlema: Saving energy is the order of the day

Germany has to save electricity and gas in the current energy crisis, and that doesn't stop at municipalities and their institutions. For this reason, the Auerhammer elementary school in the Saxon district town of Aue-Bad Schlema wrote a letter on October 10, 2022. She tells the parents of her students the temperatures to which rooms will now be heated: classrooms 20 °C and the gymnasium 17 °C. She recommends bringing a cushion for the wooden chairs and a cardigan that can also be left at school. Right-wing internet channels are now using this letter to stir up sentiment:

Screenshot: Letter to parents from Auerhammer primary school as a bone of contention
Screenshot: Letter to parents from Auerhammer primary school as a bone of contention

Room temperature lowered, students should bring seat cushions and cardigans: Mayor of Aue - Bad Schlema lets our children freeze!

On the instructions of the Aue - Bad Schlema city administration under Mayor Heinrich Kohl (CDU), the room temperature in the primary schools will be reduced to 20 degrees. Apparently our children are supposed to freeze. The school recommends bringing seat cushions and cardigans to survive classes in the winter. And encourages you to complain to the decision makers responsible.

Apart from the fact that no one has to implement such a policy and that school management should also have the courage to stand up against it, the city administration in Aue - Bad Schlema is letting our children freeze. The same city administration that has implemented every corona measure, no matter how senseless, for two years now apparently no longer sees cold school rooms and the resulting increased risk of colds as a problem. Craziness!

This text is currently being shared widely (end of October 2022).

The city spokeswoman for Aue-Bad Schlema, Jana Hecker, confirmed the energy saving measures on which the letter is based. Not only the Auerhammer elementary school is affected, but also five other public schools in the city. “Of course, many people are not happy after the city had already turned off hot water and some showers in city sports halls. But we have no other chance,” said Hecker in a report by Tag24 . Further savings measures are planned and will be discussed at the next city council meeting on October 26th.

Basis of energy saving measures in schools

Since September 1st, new rules for saving energy in public buildings have been in effect in Germany. These are set out in the “Ordinance for Securing the Energy Supply via Short-Term Effective Measures” (EnSikuMaV). Mimikama has here . However, schools are explicitly exempt from these rules. The basis for saving energy in Saxon schools are “Joint recommendations from the Saxon State Ministry of Culture and the municipal umbrella organizations in the Free State of Saxony on energy-saving measures for schools and daycare facilities in the Free State of Saxony”. These can be found on the SMK website .

Room temperature
Minimum temperatures must not be fallen below in schools and daycare centers. The room temperature in school classrooms should not be less than 20 degrees Celsius. A minimum temperature of 21 degrees Celsius is specified for group rooms in daycare centers, while for gymnasiums it is 17 degrees Celsius.

Recommendations on energy saving measures for schools and daycare centers, Saxon State Ministry for Culture

Even before September 28th, when these “Joint Recommendations” were formulated, there were already requirements for temperatures in classrooms. The DGUV brochure “Safe School” from November 2014 states in the chapter on indoor air quality and indoor climate what the air in school classes should be like. CO₂ upper limits, ventilation behavior, maximum draft, humidity and temperatures are recorded. The brochure refers to the technical regulations for workplaces , in particular ASR A3.5 room temperature and ASR A3.6 ventilation .

The indoor climate
The indoor climate is essentially influenced by the room temperature, air speed and air humidity. The room temperature should be at least 20°C and maximum 26°C. A temperature between 20 °C and 22 °C is perceived as pleasant.

Excerpt from the DGUV “Safe School” brochure, November 2014

Incidentally, the maximum 26 degrees Celsius refers to (summer) room temperatures, which according to ASR A3.5 must not be exceeded and should be reduced through measures such as sun protection, ventilation systems, etc. For sports halls , the “Safe School” brochure suggests that the temperature can be regulated quickly in order to create “use-specific comfort” and states that “due to the constant movement and warming up of those taking part in sports, a temperature of 17 to 19 °C is considered sufficient.” . The basis for this is DIN 18032-1 (Section 9.1): “The recommended usage temperature for the sports hall is 17 °C”.

The current specifications for temperatures in classrooms and sports halls are very similar to those that existed before the energy crisis and correspond to the recommendations from various standards.

Cold alone doesn't make you sick

Regardless of the fact that the specified temperatures are sufficient and have been sufficient before. There is another important point to note: low temperatures alone are not sufficient for a cold. For a cold, “you always need a pathogen: occasionally bacteria, but in around 95 percent of all cases all kinds of different viruses,” explains biologist Uta Schindler in Spectrum of Science. The classic cold, the flu-like infection, is usually caused by rhinoviruses.

A cold without viruses, caused by cold alone - impossible.

Uta Schindler in the article Does cold cause a cold?

About 20 percent of people carry cold pathogens around with them all the time. If the body is healthy and at an operating temperature of 37 °C, the defense against these viruses works very well. If it cools down, the viruses gain the upper hand more easily. Because blood circulation is restricted in cold temperatures, fewer immune cells reach the mucous membranes. However, staying in heated rooms with dry air also has its pitfalls: dried out mucous membranes in the mouth and nose are also entry points for pathogens.

The ideal room climate is: not too warm, not too cold and certainly not too dry. Infection with cold viruses often occurs in closed rooms through droplet infection, i.e. when others sneeze, cough or blow their nose. Stress also increases the chance of becoming infected.

CONCLUSION

No, children do not have to deliberately freeze at the Auerhammer primary school in Aue-Bad Schlema. The specifications for temperatures in classrooms and sports halls are appropriate and have not changed fundamentally during the energy crisis. A warm jacket and a seat cushion still won't do any harm. Covid-19 is still not over, so the next wave will probably be ventilated again.

The usual suspects from the right-wing spectrum will probably continue to whine. Therefore, at the end, the following preface directly from the comments column on Facebook:

Schools are never heated warmer than 20 degrees. A child has around 80-100 watts of heat output, fat children more. If such a room is occupied by 25-30 people, then they heat with 2-3 kW. Did all you cross sleepers sleep in physics?

Commentary among the “whining” of a self-declared citizens’ movement



More on the topic: Saving electricity and heating energy – easy and cheap with these tips


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Notes:
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