Today's announcement of the costs as of November provides students with security and transparency. Unlike third parties, who often pass on costs to tenants in full and retrospectively via utility bills, the rents in the dormitories of the Studierendenwerk Thüringen are warm rents, including electricity, heating and water consumption costs. These are not retroactively recalculated. In this respect, students do not have to expect any unexpected additional costs.

Like most other companies and housing administrations, Studierendenwerk Thüringen has been hit hard by the energy crisis - all the more so because the rents are only calculated to cover costs and without a profit margin. As a result, the Studierendenwerk Thüringen can no longer avoid an increase in ancillary costs. However, the energy crisis should not lead to a permanent increase in rents in the residential complexes.
»We will reduce or cancel the flat energy rate as quickly as possible, as soon as energy prices allow,« promises Torsten Schubert, managing director of Studierendenwerk Thüringen. »We consider the flat energy rate to be the most socially responsible solution to keep rents low in the long term and to be able to maintain the housing supply.«

However, the flat energy rate cannot fully cover the price development of energy. »We don't want to and can't completely pass on the enormous price increase to students in line with our social mission. We want to help students deal with the crisis by, among other things, burdening them as little as possible financially,« Schubert adds. 

However, Jonathan Schäfer, a student at Friedrich Schiller University in Jena and deputy chairman of the administrative board of Studierendenwerk Thüringen, emphasizes that students are willing to make their contribution. He emphasizes: »In the administrative council, we have weighed up various measures in detail and hopefully found a fair solution with the energy flat rate. Now it is up to the federal government and the Free State of Thuringia to create adequate support for the students and the Studierendenwerk Thüringen so that they can cope well with the crisis.«

The one-time payments of 200 euros to students announced by the traffic light coalition in the third relief package are certainly a good step in this regard. The Studierendenwerk Thüringen hopes that this lump sum will help students financially through the heating period.

Furthermore, the Studierendenwerk Thüringen is currently examining a comprehensive package of measures to save energy in the student residences, which will show effects over the winter. However, because some of the buildings are old, it is not trivial to consider lowering the heating at night or lowering the hot water supply temperatures. Among other things, however, the switch to LED lighting is to be accelerated in any case. Their use is already standard in new buildings and in renovations.

In addition, the Studierendenwerk Thüringen also calls on tenants to behave in an energy-conscious manner - knowing that many students already deal responsibly with the crisis. Nevertheless, seemingly small things, such as not heating the apartments permanently and closing the windows when the radiators are on, can have a significant impact on energy consumption in the dormitories. Tenants are therefore asked to help save energy by adopting appropriate usage behavior.

Information on this is also provided by the federal government's »80 Million Together for Energy Change« campaign. At www.energiewechsel.de, students can obtain valuable energy-saving tips as well as information on how and where energy can be saved.

The Studierendenwerk Thüringen rents out more than 8,000 places to students in 71 residential complexes. The Studierendenwerk Thüringen will provide evidence to the Board of Directors of the energy flat rate, which will be used exclusively to pay for rising energy costs.

Learn more about the energy flat rate in this interview: https://www.radiolotte.de/radio/studierendenwerk-thueringen-fuehrt-energiepauschale-ein-39078.html