Award for Energiescout project Inventor Markus Mettler honored

Markus Mettler honored for his invention of the energy scouts (Photo ebm-papst)

Markus Mettler honored for his invention of the Energy Scouts (Photo: ebm-papst)

Energy Scouts 2015 in New York. (Photo ebm-papst)

Analysis of compressed air leaks in production in Mulfingen. (Photo: ebm-papst)

Energy saving and resource efficiency are of central importance not only due to the rapid climate change. Currently, this is also an important part of the European heating strategy with the goal of freeing itself from dependence on gas imports.

Markus Mettler, Technical Operations Manager at ebm-papst and board member of the Association of Climate Protection Companies e.V., has been committed to the topic of sustainability for years and has supported many initiatives.

With his invention of the now nationally and internationally known training project "Energy Scouts," Mettler was recently honored with a certificate of honor from Federal Minister for Economics and Climate Protection Dr. Robert Harbeck and DIHK President Peter Adrian in Berlin.

Energy Scouts are trainees who, alongside their apprenticeship, work on optimizing energy consumption and efficiency in companies. At ebm-papst, a group of young employees has been working on this since 2010, now in its 12th generation, for the benefit of environmental and climate protection.

Markus Mettler: "At ebm-papst, climate protection and energy efficiency have been of great importance since the company's founding. For me, it was therefore a matter close to my heart to raise awareness among our youngest colleagues on these topics and to engage them with a tailored program."

In the early years, the focus of the Energy Scouts was on detecting and repairing compressed air leaks in the production area. Compressed air is needed in large quantities at ebm-papst for manufacturing fans. It often happens that small leaks occur in the connecting hoses, causing high energy consumption if they are not found and repaired. Meanwhile, the self-image of the Energy Scouts has evolved further. In addition to searching for compressed air leaks, they are generally committed to the topic of sustainability, develop new concepts for efficient and environmentally friendly operation, and independently manage projects.

With strong support from the corporate communications of the ebm-papst Group, the successful project gained high recognition beyond regional borders among politics and the media. The nationwide breakthrough was achieved through the joint presentation at the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce. The DIHK was impressed by the ebm-papst Energy Scouts project and decided in 2014 to develop a nationwide training and education concept through cooperation with the Mittelstandsinitiative "Energiewende und Klimaschutz" for its approximately 80 chambers of industry and commerce in Germany.

As a result, over 10,000 young people have been trained as Energy Scouts in more than 1,000 companies in Germany alone, contributing to operational climate protection and energy efficiency ever since. The project has also been successfully introduced in parts of Europe for a few years now.

"Our Energy Scouts even went to New York, were received there by the UN, gave lectures at the American Chamber of Commerce, and visited schools and companies," says Mettler proudly today.

For ebm-papst, the connection between ecology and economy has been an important concern since its founding, which is also continuously optimized on the product side under the GreenIntelligence initiative.