Reducing the carbon footprint of housing by changing heating methods and saving energy together

Lappeenrannan Asuntopalvelu Oy is actively looking for ways to increase environmental friendliness. The company is committed to reducing its carbon dioxide emissions by 50% by 2025 and by 80% by 2033. In order to reach its target, Asuntopalvelu has changed the heat source from fossil fuels to renewable energy in a number of its buildings and is increasing the efficiency of its energy use within the framework of the Municipalities’ Energy Efficiency Agreement (KETS).

Lappeenrannan Asuntopalvelu Oy is a city-owned company that produces and owns rental homes. The company has about 200 properties and 300 buildings with around 7,500 tenants. There are homes all over Lappeenranta and also in Joutseno, Nuijamaa, Vainikkala and

Ylämaa. The housing stock includes blocks of flats, balcony access blocks, terraced houses and single-family houses.

Asuntopalvelu has changed the heating method in seven blocks of flats and one terraced house property. The blocks of flats are located on Osuustie in the Pulp area in Joutseno, and the terraced house property with 14 homes is in Mustola, at the corner of Kaarikatu and Pitkäkatu.  These sites have moved to geothermal heat and pellets.

– The heating renovation of the three terraced houses is coming up next summer, when the oil heating of one site will be changed to a geothermal system, the oil heating of the second site and the natural gas system of the third site to an air-water heating system, says Martti Mäkelä, Managing Director of Lappeenrannan Asuntopalvelu.

Most of Asuntopalvelu’s properties receive district heating mainly produced with biofuel. The change in the heating method has affected not only the company’s environmental impact but also the heating costs of the properties. According to Mäkelä, the changed costs also benefit the residents.

– In the longer term, the costs will decrease and, as a result, the rents or the pressure to increase them will decrease. 

Significant emission reductions

In the terraced house property at Kaarikatu 18/Pitkäkatu 12–14, the old oil heating system was replaced with a geothermal heating system. This is Asuntopalvelu’s first existing property to have its heat source changed to geothermal heat. The change was designed by Granlund Saimaa Oy, a company specialising in the real estate and construction sector.

According to Granlund’s calculations, by changing the heating system, the annual carbon dioxide emissions of the property will be reduced by approximately 58,000 kg. Its average oil consumption used to be more than 20,000 litres per year.

The blocks of flats on Osuustie in Pulp used to be heated with natural gas. In 2020, Lappeenrannan Lämpövoima, which is responsible for supplying heat to the area, built a new pellet-fired heating plant there.

With a nominal output of 500 kW, the plant generates approximately 2,600 MWh of heat annually for use by the Osuustie properties. At the same time, the old natural gas plant was renovated in such a way that it can be used to produce heat during peak consumption times in winter and during maintenance of the pellet plant.

According to Lappeenrannan Lämpövoima, the carbon dioxide emissions of the Osuustie properties totalled approx. 42 tonnes in 2021. Thanks to the changed heating method, the CO2 emissions of the properties have decreased by approx. 558 tonnes per year.

Every action counts

Lappeenrannan Asuntopalvelu improves energy efficiency mainly in connection with new construction and property renovation projects. As a group company owned by the City of Lappeenranta, the company is committed to the Municipalities’ Energy Efficiency Agreement. The agreement lists measures to meet the emission reduction goals listed in the city’s climate programme for 2020–2030.

The company has achieved some of the reductions with the changes made to the heating systems. In addition, the company utilises electricity produced with renewable energy for lighting in the common areas of its buildings, for example. The company’s newest block of flats at Kiviharjunkatu 2 has solar panels.

The company also encourages its residents to save energy together.

– We are involved in the national Down a Degree campaign. We inform our residents about the subject and publish energy-saving tips weekly in social media. It must be remembered that, if everyone does something small, we can achieve big things together, Mäkelä says.

Asuntopalvelu has also introduced sauna fees, and the common sauna times, which have not been used much, will be discontinued in early 2023. In addition, the temperatures in the common areas have been reduced slightly. According to Mäkelä, the residents have enthusiastically joined the efforts, but people have different attitudes.

– The easiest ways to save energy are those that can be achieved by means of technology.

For more information, please contact:

Lappeenrannan Asuntopalvelu Oy
Martti Mäkelä, martti.makela@aspakoti.fi , tel. +358 20 496 3201