Social housing in Finland embraces automation systems to optimise energy consumption
The EU-funded project BuildON is testing digital technologies for temperature control in residential buildings.
Watch the video interview with Kirsi Korpisalo
Managed by HEKA, Finland's largest social housing provider, the residential building in Helsinki consists of 32 apartments and was recently renovated. Completed in 2022, the renovation introduced modern automation systems and advanced energy solutions, providing a strong foundation for the deployment of BuildON's digital tools.
In the building "the heating is centralised, ventilation is centralised. The heating is done with ground-source heat pumps and district heating," explains Kirsi Korpisalo, energy expert at HEKA. These solutions allow energy to be managed more efficiently, which is particularly important in Finland's cold climate.
As part of the BuildON project, the building has been further upgraded with electronic radiator thermostats installed in all apartments, common areas and service spaces. These systems enable more precise temperature control, helping to reduce energy consumption while offering residents greater flexibility in managing indoor comfort.
Among the digital solutions tested at the Finnish pilot, two are of particular interest: the digital building logbook and energy flexibility services. The digital logbook provides a comprehensive record of the building's technical history, supporting maintenance activities and enabling better-informed decisions over the building's lifecycle. Energy flexibility services, meanwhile, allow the adjustment of heating demand in response to network needs without significantly affecting indoor conditions.
In the Finnish context, where heating and ventilation systems are typically centralised, building operations are already highly automated. However, the solutions introduced through BuildON give residents more opportunities to adjust temperatures in their own apartments, while maintaining efficient building-level control.
BuildON's demonstrator shows how digital solutions can help residential buildings address local climate challenges, improve energy performance, reduce emissions and prepare the housing stock for a future increasingly based on renewable energy and smart technologies.
Contacts
Project Coordinator:
Sofia Mulero Palencia
CARTIF
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ICONS
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