Ylva | Well yard

Ylva is reducing emissions from its real estate holdings in the heart of Helsinki. The University of Helsinki Student Union’s asset management company carried out an energy renovation in the Kaivopihan block and Domus Academica, which will reduce the energy consumption of the buildings and improve the conditions for people working and living in the buildings.

The Kaivopihta block includes the Old Student House, Citytalo, Kaivotalo and Kaivokatu 12. The energy renovation, which focuses on modernising ventilation and building automation and the heating and cooling network, will cut Ylva’_{s CO2 emissions} by 230 tonnes per year, which is about 10% of the total emissions from the buildings.

LeaseGreen implemented the investments as a turnkey project. After the completion of the project, the big data generated by the building services of the properties was connected to LeaseGreen’s control room, which took responsibility for the energy management and performance of the renovated properties.

Energy renovation, which cuts emissions and repair debt, is also an economically viable investment for Ylva. According to LeaseGreen’s calculations, the lifecycle savings of the investment amount to around EUR 3.6 million, with a return on investment of 10-12%.

“If we can find ways towards low carbon that are also economically viable, it will be easier to scale up such things to the rest of society,” says Antti Ruuska of Ylva.

Ylva has committed to zero carbon footprint of its properties by 2025. According to Ruuska, sustainability means that all emission-reducing solutions are widely adopted.

“There is no one magic trick that will get us to zero emissions. A wide range of measures and determined efforts are needed to achieve zero emissions. This is an important start on our journey towards low carbon, but there are many other things on the roadmap.”