We Have Invested Into Energy Savings

He was a member of the Board of Directors and CEO, and now Pavel Habarta is the Technical Director of the PCC. The building has undergone significant renovations in recent years, with more to come. Investments in energy-saving technologies, including the installation of solar panels, have been essential.

You know the PCC very well. You were a Member of the Board of Directors for several years and even a CEO for a while. How does that help you in your current position?
I have been a Member of the Board of Directors for 4.5 years and CEO for 1 year. I would argue that you either fall in love with the PCC right away or you leave the PCC relatively quickly. There aren't many companies like ours. My tenure in the company's top bodies influenced me a lot and certainly had a direct impact on my success in the CTO selection process. Knowing the building, knowing the staff and the company processes is a big advantage. My personal insight lies in the belief that it will be harder for me in the role of technical director than to lead the entire company. The level of detail and the complexity is significantly higher in a CTO position. Fortunately, there is Luděk Bednář, who has patience with me (at least for now), a well-assembled team of engineers, and many other employees outside the technical department who help me. Today I am happy and grateful that the current CEO approached me to take part in the selection procedure.
 
Do these two positions have anything in common?
The CEO position is more about implementing the vision of the shareholders and carrying out the tasks entrusted by the Board of Directors. It is often a thankless role, as some tasks are very difficult to accomplish. The tasks often require more time, people or capital than we have. One must be able to communicate, explain patiently, listen empathetically and be able to respond quickly to changing business conditions. Conversely, the role of the CTO is about achieving a quality standard - keeping all technology running at all times so the economic activity is not interrupted. Our hotel, long and short leases (long and short term rentals) and parking --all of this generates revenue. We in the technical department keep an eye on costs.
 
With what goals/objectives did you accept the position of Technical Director?
The most important task is to take over the whole agenda from the current technical director Luděk Bednář. And I already know that this will not be easy in a situation where our building has hundreds of rooms, all of which are serviced by technology. A lot has been invested in the building in the past, but more big investments are to come. The hotel building has a new ground floor with a hotel lobby, the rooms have been gradually renovated, and the elevators are being replaced. The roof of the PCC building and the halls have undergone major renovations and the EPC project for energy savings is well underway. We still have to replace the escalators, completely revise the stage technology, invest in fire protection measures, and finally it seems that the long-awaited project to renovate the south garage and build a new hall will start. A project to revitalise the north garage and the terraces around the building is also now underway. We are looking at a period of perhaps 5-7 years which will bring many new things. And I want to be there.
 
The PCC has undergone reconstruction in recent years. Which one do you think was crucial?
One of the most important is the solar panels. 2,080 of them have been installed on an area of 7,000 m2. This will save the PCC up to 10% of its total energy consumption, but also possibly ten tonnes of CO2.The power plant itself saves around CZK 5.5 million per year, and even here the PCC invested only minimal upfront costs. The photovoltaic system is repaid in the price of the energy it consumes.
Other investments in energy-saving technologies have also been successful. Replacing interior lighting with LEDs saved 80% of the electricity used for lighting. Today we have 95% of the lights replaced and we will invest another CZK 3.5 million in replacing the original lights before the end of the year. Over 300 air handling units have been refurbished and now have heat recovery. We have three new gas condensing boilers, which save a third of the gas compared to before the renovation. A new cogeneration unit has been used which generates electricity while using the heat from the engine to heat water for heating or water for daily use. The efficiency of the compressor chiller has been doubled and sophisticated technology has been used to control the operation. Hundreds of sensors supply data to coordinate the operation. In part, the processes are automated and in part, we have retained the ability for immediate response by the technical control room.
A good example of the use of modern technology is the preheating or pre-cooling of halls according to their occupancy and the current weather.
 
On the contrary, is there anything else that needs to be improved in the PCC?
There is always room for improvement. That's the "kaizen" philosophy I learned in a Japanese soldering producer company I helped to build as a young manager just outside Prague.
 We have challenges ahead of us in the form of electromobility and building infrastructure not only for parking electric vehicles but also for charging them.
 The big challenge for the PCC is to solve the insulation of the building, as the amount of glass areas is enormous and the payback is out of sight using current technology. Insulating the building is also complicated because of the architecture that needs to be preserved. We are also trying to connect the fight to save the climate, as defined by the Green Deal, i.e. to make Europe climate neutral by 2050, with the economics of the company, which sometimes goes against each other.
I would like to achieve a higher level of waste sorting, efficiency and savings in collections, not only at our company level but also with our suppliers and tenants.
 
There are charging stations for electric vehicles in the PCC. Are you planning any other similar "green" projects?
 We plan to expand the charging of electric cars on the south terrace as part of the redevelopment of the south garage, and the same will happen on the north terrace. Eventually we could supply up to 150 charging points, which would mean using up today's reserve power capacity. There will be more "green" projects in general, but probably smaller ones.
 

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2023-11-20