This article was originally published on the Motiva website.
The municipality of Hollola has invested in energy saving in a couple of municipal buildings by purchasing energy saving services. Both the Vesikansa depot and the Satulinna kindergarten have used leasing solutions.
"The air-to-water heat pump at the Vesikansa depot has the 45% savings guarantee on heating costs promised by LämpöYkkönen. The Satulinna kindergarten in Hollola also has a savings guarantee for the regulation of the underfloor heating system. The savings must be higher than the service charge at the current electricity prices. The smart underfloor heating was supplied by Themo," says Managing Director Reijo Reponen of Hollolan Tilapalvelu Oy.
The savings achieved in the buildings will be verified in an energy savings audit. At the Vesikansa depot, the renovation was decided to get rid of oil heating. At the Satulinna kindergarten, an intelligent system was wanted to control the floor heating instead of the old manual controllers.
Perfectly risk-free implementation for the client
From the customer's point of view, buying energy saving as a service is almost risk-free. "The modification of the heating system in the Vesikansa depot is almost risk-free for the subscriber because the equipment has a seven-year warranty. The risks are probably not too great for the service provider either, as they do a lot of similar projects," Reponen adds.
LämpöYkkönen implements energy-efficient heating and cooling solutions for companies, municipalities and housing associations. The project can be financed by realised savings and implemented through a service contract model.
"We are proud to offer energy saving solutions that bring tangible benefits to our customers. The Hollola Vesikansa depot project is an excellent example of how we can work with our customers to achieve significant cost savings while reducing their carbon footprint," says Sami Hautakoski, Business Director of LämpöYkkönen Oy's B2B Business.
"The Satulinna site also has a five-year warranty on the equipment, so there is little risk for us, but the risk for the service provider is greater in this case, as this is their first day-care centre site to be optimized," Reponen continues.
The most significant customer base for Themo B2B business consists of large Finnish rental housing companies, such as Kojamo, Sato, Asuntosäätiö and Y-säätiö, as well as numerous city-owned rental housing companies. In addition, Themo Control is used by companies such as Scandic, Holiday Club and Esperi Care. To date, Themo service controls around 12 600 electrically heated rooms.
"It is great that Themo is a widely trusted partner in energy saving projects. Our service, sold with a savings promise, is likely to generate a classic win-win situation, where both parties benefit from the projects. In addition, the environment also benefits as CO₂ emissions are significantly reduced," says Joonas Rantala, Sales Director at Themo.
Deliveries on schedule
Normal operations continued smoothly as service providers kept to their schedules. The equipment for the Vesikansa depot was ordered on 23 March 2023 and the installation was completed in April within one day, which Reponen describes as excellent. However, the savings target at a Vesikansa depot has not quite been reached yet.
"We have noticed that in some buildings it is important to monitor energy consumption more closely and ensure lifecycle savings by optimising the system based on the experience of the first year of operation. This makes it easier to take into account the accumulated usage data to identify the more specific measures required to optimise the system. In this way, we ensure that the savings targets are met and that the system performs optimally in the long term," says Hautakoski.
"Thanks to the 'guaranteed savings' customer promise, these energy efficiency projects will definitely be worthwhile," adds Expert Tanja Hyvönen from Motiva.
At the Satulinna site, apart from some minor adjustments, there were no problems with the delivery. The installations were carried out while the kindergarten was closed. The savings goal has also been met. Themo system was installed at the Satulinna kindergarten in early January 2023. During the first year, Satulinna kindergarten electricity consumption decreased by 36,729 kWh (201,982 kWh vs. 165,253 kWh). In the first six months of 2024, despite an exceptionally cold winter, savings have further increased to over 20 percent compared to the the year 2022 (112 622 kWh vs. 89 790 kWh).
Along with Themo installations, the ventilation system was also upgraded in the Satulinna kindergarten. Themo accounts for about two-thirds of the total savings generated.
Reponen stresses the importance of remote monitoring and intelligent control systems in such projects, where a lot of equipment is replaced. "In practice, the repair debt is also significantly reduced, which should not be overlooked."
"We could certainly do similar projects again and can recommend them to others," Reponen sums up.
Text: Motiva Oy, Communications Manager Sirpa Mustonen
In an energy saving service, sometimes referred to as an ESCO (Energy Service Company), an external service provider implements energy efficiency measures and guarantees the customer the resulting savings.
