“It’s great that in our building society you will soon be able to charge your car with solar electricity collected from your own roof.”
When the City of Helsinki increased the land rent sixfold, the housing associations in Munkkivuori began to consider whether they could save on other costs accordingly. Quickly, the focus turned to energy and heating bills.
“It was natural. Our district heating bill is over EUR 300 000 per year,” says
As Oy Ulvilantie 17a and As Oy Porintie 9, built at the same time, form a close unit, although they are separate housing companies. Therefore, they decided to carry out the energy renovation together. The companies have a total of 350 apartments, a common heating plant and a heating company, of which Eetu Järvinen is chairman of the board.
Hunger grew as you ate. In addition to the original geothermal project, the housing associations decided to start capturing heat from the exhaust air, build a photovoltaic system and cable all the parking spaces for electric car charging points. At the same time, the property automation system will be modernised and connected to LeaseGreen’s Meta service.
“It’s great that in our building society you will soon be able to charge your car with solar electricity collected from your own roof. There are not many housing associations like this near the Helsinki city centre.”
The company believes that the renovation will make already desirable apartments more attractive on the market. The fundamentals are good. The energy renovation will halve the company’s heating costs and significantly reduce its renovation debt. The life-cycle savings amount to €4.9 million. The carbon footprint will be reduced by 770 tonnes per year.
A total of 66 energy wells will be drilled, with a total length of 27 kilometres. The solar power plants on the roofs of the buildings will have a capacity of 60 kWp. About half of the electricity they generate will be used to power the geothermal heating system and the rest will be used to generate electricity for the property, for example for charging electric cars.
LeaseGreen, which specialises in energy renovation for large housing companies, is responsible for the design and implementation of the energy renovation. According to Eetu Järvinen, the cooperation has got off to a great start.
“This one-stop-shop principle suits us well, we don’t want to take on such a big project ourselves. That was also a key reason for choosing LeaseGreen as our partner.”
It is well known that decision-making in building societies is not always quick or easy. In Munkkivuori, the decision on energy renovation took more than two years in total. In the end, however, it was decided by a clear majority.
“The groundwork was done really well, so it was an easy decision to make. We have received a lot of positive feedback from residents,” says Järvinen.
“And it’s no wonder. There is no cost to the shareholders, it’s all financed by the savings on energy bills.”
Attractive courtyards and the timeless architecture of the houses built in 1957 attract residents.
When Leonid Brezhnev visited Finland in the late 1950s to see the suburban construction in Finland, he chose Ulvilantie 17 as his destination. At the time, housing associations represented the progressive thinking of their time. They are doing the same today.
“It feels good to do things on the front foot. This is a smart eco-act and an investment in the future,” says Eetu Järvinen.
More and more housing associations are thinking along the same lines. Thomas Luther, CEO of LeaseGreen, believes that many housing associations will follow the example of the Monk Mountains.
“These XL-sized housing associations get the best added value from our approach. Not only do we have strong technical expertise, but we also tender efficiently and take responsibility for the end result. The building company saves time and money. The environment benefits.”
Chairman of the Board Eetu Järvinen, As Oy Ulvilantie 17a
+358 50 506 7659, eetu.jarvinen@gmail.com
Thomas Luther, Managing Director, LeaseGreen
+358 40 5344 256, thomas.luther@leasegreen.com
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