Heating and Plumbing Work of Franconian Master Class
Interview with Cengiz Sahin, Managing Director of Flossmann & Grünbeck GmbH
Flossmann & Grünbeck GmbH of the Builtech Group has long made a name for itself in the greater Nuremberg area for its special service quality in the heating and plumbing sector. Managing Director Cengiz Sahin revealed in an interview with Wirtschaftsforum how he views the Building Energy Act from his daily professional life, which regulatory measures would be particularly sensible, and why the craftsman trade still has golden ground.
Wirtschaftsforum: Mr. Sahin, Flossmann & Grünbeck GmbH of the Builtech Group promises 'Franconian master class' quality as a heating and plumbing company – in which business areas are you specifically engaged?Cengiz Sahin: We operate exclusively in the greater Nuremberg area, where we mainly appear within the framework of larger projects – often for public authorities, for example in school and housing construction, the construction of kindergartens and daycare centers, as well as in the maintenance and repair of various building typologies including power plants and the infrastructural support of hospitals like the recent Klinikum Nord, thus under conditions with especially high demands.
Schools and kindergartens, for example, immediately fall into building class 5, which is why the strictest fire safety regulations automatically apply. Our key value proposition lies particularly in our high service quality – because service is something we take very seriously.
Wirtschaftsforum: The heat transition has become a permanent topic beyond your sector due to the Building Energy Act – how do you experience the current regulatory framework?
Cengiz Sahin: First of all, one must be able to read the GEG (Building Energy Act) correctly. The directional decisions made within are crucial for the climate protection plan. In facing the major challenge of transformation, we must provide very good advice and involve and motivate the affected plant operators so that we can also achieve the climate protection goals and the energy transition more swiftly. Success can only be achieved by optimally aligning the GEG's specifications with user needs.
In this process, the correct techniques must be applied to make plant configurations more efficient, thereby increasing the share of renewable energies in the results, so that significantly more than just meeting the option is achieved. Decarbonization and thus a significant reduction in CO2 emissions must be our goal in order to preserve the creative justification for existence for the next generations.
Wirtschaftsforum: From your perspective, what would be an effective measure?
Cengiz Sahin: In this context, I often think of the car scrapping bonus that was decided in the context of the 2008 financial crisis – I could imagine something similar for the heating industry, to first remove the still-operated, significantly aged dirt emitters from circulation, rather than enforcing an unnecessary clear-cut. Condensing technology systems already make use of latent heat, resulting in a significantly better CO2 balance. Of course, priority must be given to renewable energy sources like heat pumps, geothermal, district heating, solar thermal, and others.
As part of municipal heating planning, the federal level has now entrusted cities and municipalities with a major task to specify exactly these renewable energy sources in the urban context and to expand the necessary networks and provide district solutions, so that the plant operator gets a factually transparent orientation – however, this should not lead to municipalities being left alone with this gigantic challenge and responsibility. Urban financing options must be provided for this mammoth task.
Wirtschaftsforum: Additionally, the general shortage of skilled workers is considered a significant obstacle to the heating transition.
Cengiz Sahin: We are certainly facing a societal challenge to attract young people to trades and technology. The economic conditions clearly speak in favor of this career path – because without trades, the energy transition and achieving climate protection goals will not be successful. Flossmann & Grünbeck has always seen itself responsible in this area as a training company. We have always trained a large part of our staff ourselves – and also consistently emphasize on further education.