The energy renovation of a shopping centre shows that a profitable investment does not have to be laborious and expensive.
The Jumalniemi shopping centre will kill two birds with one stone when energy renovation is combined with PTS repairs. The broadening of the perspective dramatically improved the return on investment.
The Jumalniemi shopping centre in Kotka, Finland, is undergoing an energy renovation that will improve the building’s conditions and reduce its carbon footprint. What is exceptional is how well the energy efficiency measures fit into the building’s PTS plan.
“We would have had to modernise building automation anyway. Now we are doing it in connection with an energy renovation and cutting the carbon emissions of the building by 32 tonnes,” says Tytti Juhokas, Account Manager at Varma.
The Varma-owned shopping centre will modernise its building automation and ventilation. In addition, 160 kWP solar panels will be installed on the roof and the parking lot lighting will be upgraded to LED. The property, built in 1999, has already been renovated to modern standards in other areas. During the roof renovation, Varma had also anticipated the possibility of solar power.
“The location on a flat land and the flat roof make the Jumalniemi shopping centre an excellent target for solar power. In the future, we will get some of the energy we need from the sun,” Juhokas says.
Located between Kotka and Karhula, the Jumalniemi shopping centre has 14 000m2 of leasable space and a volume of 90 000m3.The shopping centre, which was once occupied by Anttila, now has a dozen larger tenants, the largest of which are Tokmanni, Jysk and Power.
“Many of our tenants are active on climate issues. The Godniemi energy efficiency project is very much in line with what they are doing.”
Modernising building automation and ventilation will also improve indoor air conditions in the building.
Varma has an ambitious target to zero the carbon footprint of its buildings in terms of electricity and heat by 2030. The renovation of the Jumalniemi shopping centre and other Varma properties is an important step towards the climate target of zero emissions of electricity and heat from the company’s properties by 2025 and 2030 respectively.
To achieve this goal, Varma systematically reviews its entire property portfolio, including those properties that initially appear challenging.
“As an occupational pension company, we are long-term investors. We want to make solutions that stand the test of time and are climate-resilient. On the other hand, we also want to explore new technologies without prejudice,” says Varma’s Tytti Juhokas.
Varma has used the expertise of LeaseGreen, Finland’s leading energy efficiency company, to survey its properties. A portfolio mapping exercise launched earlier this year led to energy renovations of several dozen apartment buildings.
“Together with LeaseGreen, we researched suitable sites, and the Jumalniemi shopping centre was chosen as a good location for a number of reasons,” says Juhokas.
LeaseGreen has designed the energy renovation of the Jumalniemi shopping centre and is responsible for its implementation, the realisation of the results and the optimisation of the system in the future.
“The Jumalniemi project shows that by looking holistically and then critically prioritising, you can find very profitable measures in almost any property. Everything could always be done, but not everything is always worth doing,” says Thomas Luther, CEO of LeaseGreen.
For reasons of profitability, geothermal was eventually excluded from the energy renovation of the Jumalniemi shopping centre. It would not have made economic sense in this case, even if it would have made the building carbon neutral. Jumalniemi will therefore continue to be a district heating customer.
“Geothermal is a great invention, but it’s not a silver bullet to be pushed everywhere,” says Luther.
“In Jumalniemi, we combined small changes and features in the PTS works to maximise the benefits and value for the customer, also in terms of energy efficiency. For a remarkably reasonable effort, we can cut the carbon footprint of a large building by 14%, which is really great.”
Tytti Juhokas, Account Manager, Varma
+358 50 4635 268
tytti.juhokas@varma.fi
Thomas Luther, Managing Director, LeaseGreen
+358 40 5344 256
thomas.luther@leasegreen.com
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