Energy Management at Kitzsteinhorn

In 2015, Gletscherbahnen Kaprun became Austria’s first ropeway company to have all areas of its operations certified to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 50001. Following a comprehensive recertification audit, all three certifications were renewed without restriction in August 2024. As part of the energy management system, all energy consumed across the company is recorded, monitored, and optimized.

Stefan Reisinger was involved in systematically developing the energy management system from the very beginning. He explains:

“Effective monitoring depends on having every relevant company metric available so we can achieve the highest possible level of energy efficiency. With more than 100 metering points on the mountain and in the valley, that is a complex task. Our first step was to consolidate all the data in a computer dashboard and make energy use across the entire mountain transparent. Now I can monitor consumption at a glance and intervene wherever optimization is needed. Our goal is clear: reduce consumption!”

On peak days, with 12,000 visitors on the mountain, Kitzsteinhorn functions much like a small town that needs to be supplied with energy. Stefan Reisinger explains:

“In addition to the lifts, snowmaking systems, and office buildings, we also operate our own workshops. Because of the high-altitude location, Kitzsteinhorn has its own electrical, metalworking, and plumbing departments. In the morning, the company’s restaurants power up their equipment to serve hungry skiers. That is when pronounced electricity demand peaks begin to appear on my graphs.”

Stefan Reisinger focuses on these load peaks, identifies what causes them, and fine-tunes operations to reduce electricity consumption. He provides an example:

“We can flatten load peaks as much as possible by making sure the kitchens do not switch on all their large appliances while the lifts are moving their gondola cabins into position. Staggering the startup times makes a major difference. Even a slight reduction in lift speed has a noticeable effect on energy consumption. On bad-weather days, for example, the 3K K-onnection can operate with fewer cabins and at a lower speed—something guests barely notice—while saving a considerable amount of energy.”

“I constantly monitor where figures start to drift and where I can intervene through fine-tuning and small adjustments. My screen brings together all the data—from snow grooming to our own energy generation. Adding a third turbine to our Grubbach hydropower plant and expanding our photovoltaic systems enabled us to increase on-site electricity generation significantly.”

The high-tech snow groomers are equipped with the innovative SNOWsat system, which displays snow depths on the screen and makes snow distribution even more efficient.

“That saves up to 4% in fuel.”

The energy manager’s work is especially rewarding when juggling the numbers delivers significant results for the company. In fiscal year 2022/23, Stefan Reisinger and Gletscherbahnen Kaprun reduced energy consumption by 2.6%.

Stefan Reisinger is delighted:

“An external auditor regularly checks whether we meet the requirements of our ISO certifications. It is a great feeling when the final figure shows a clear reduction—we lowered our energy consumption despite a record-breaking fiscal year. That shows we are on the right track. With the help of our monitoring system, we continue to identify new priorities so we can save even more energy in the future.”