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v.l. Ministerialrat Heribert Wulz - Leiter der Grupppe I/B für Hochschulrecht, strukturelle Universitäts- und Hochschul-Governance, Studierendenservices und Erwachsenenbildung, Preisträger Andreas Loschy und sein Studiengangsleiter Richard Krotil von der Hochschule Burgenland.
Pinkafeld, 12 December 2025 : Each year, the Federal Ministry of Science and Research (now the Ministry for Women, Science and Research) presents Awards of Distinction for the best diploma and master’s degrees in the country. Fifteen graduates from universities of applied sciences are honored. One of the awards, endowed with EUR 3,000, went to Andreas Loschy, a graduate of the master’s program in Sustainable Energy Systems at the University of Applied Sciences Burgenland in Pinkafeld.
To put this in context: Austria’s universities award around 16,000 degrees each year. Fifty-five graduates receive the national award, of whom only fifteen come from universities of applied sciences — and one of them this year from the University of Applied Sciences Burgenland. In addition to the excellent grade of the thesis itself, the candidate must also have completed the entire degree program with top marks.
About the award winner: Andreas Loschy, born in 1997, lives in Markt Allhau in Burgenland. He attended the HTL Pinkafeld and subsequently completed a Bachelor's degree in Building Technology and Building Automation and then a Master's degree in Sustainable Energy Systems at the University of Applied Sciences Burgenland in Pinkafeld. He completed both programmes with distinction. He works as a building services engineer and project manager for energy design at Woschitz Engineering ZT GmbH, where he specialises in holistic energy concepts that can be used to convert public buildings from fossil fuels to sustainable energy systems.
About the award-winning work: In terms of climate protection and EU regulations, fast, sustainable solutions for heat supply without fossil fuels are needed. In his award-winning master's thesis, Loschy developed a practice-orientated decision-making tool that enables investors and, above all, energy suppliers to quickly assess the suitability of a 5GDHC network ("next generation heating and cooling network"). With just two to three input parameters, the tool provides an initial, well-founded assessment of whether a location or an existing heat source is suitable for the construction of such a low-temperature network.
The tool works in two directions:
On the one hand, energy suppliers can check whether a heat source - and its respective temperature level - is sufficient to fulfil the desired efficiency requirements for the planned consumers.
On the other hand, they can analyse how high the development costs of a heat source (such as geothermal energy or waste heat from supermarkets, etc.) and the network structure can be so that the overall costs remain competitive compared to decentralised individual solutions, such as air/water heat pumps.
The tool is particularly valuable for new neighbourhood or area developments in which different building types - from new builds to old buildings - are to be developed together. It is therefore deliberately designed for heterogeneous building mixes and enables a realistic initial assessment of the technical and economic potential. All results are presented in clear, colour-coded matrices so that quick orientation and an immediate rough estimate of feasibility are possible.
"I opted for 5GDHC grids because they represent a future-oriented grid infrastructure that efficiently integrates renewable heat sources as well as diverse waste heat sources"
Andreas Loschy, graduate of the Master's programme in Sustainable Energy Systems at Burgenland University of Applied Sciences
5GDHC grids enable the intelligent linking of heating, cooling and electricity (sector coupling), optimally utilise synergy effects and can integrate concepts such as demand-side and supply-side management. They therefore build centrally on modern smart grid approaches. "This results in significant economic, ecological and financial benefits. Overall, 5GDHC grids offer optimal utilisation of renewable energies - both in terms of heat and electricity - with virtually loss-free distribution and are therefore a key to a sustainable energy future."
Degree programme: Master's degree - 4 semesters - technical studies supplemented by aspects of economics, law and management; Academic degree: Graduate engineer for technical-scientific professions - Dipl.Ing.; Organisational form: part-time: teaching at the study centre 10 weekends per semester: usually Friday 14:00 to approx. 21:00 and Saturday from 8:30 to approx. 17:15, plus two attendance blocks per semester Thursday to Saturday from 08:30 to approx. 19:15; Study places: 40; Study location: 7423 Pinkafeld, Steinamangerstraße 21; Language: German (required language level at least B2), individual courses can be held in English (required language level at least B2); Tuition fees: none
Enquiry notes:
Mag.a Christiane Staab │ Marketing and Communication │ University of Applied Sciences Burgenland GmbH │ Tel: +43 (0)5 7705 3537 │ E-Mail: christiane.staab(at)hochschule-burgenland.at
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