Reference story: Asunto Oy Kotikonnuntie 2 heat recovery contract

Asunto Oy Kotikonnuntie 2 is a Helsinki housing company whose eight-storey residential building with 97 apartments was originally built as a seafarers' house in 1968. Seafarers' families and their descendants still live in the building. Niina Nordström, chair of the housing company's board, says the housing company has a continuous desire to improve the property's energy efficiency in various ways.

In winter 2023–2024, Wirmax Oy carried out a heat recovery contract at the housing company, aiming to reduce the property's purchased energy and the emissions caused by heating. The housing company already had district heating, which the newly installed heat recovery system works together with.

The installed heat recovery system has been in operation since January 2024, and the results can already be assessed. In the January–September periods of 2022 and 2023, the property's combined consumption of electricity and heating energy was 699,521 kWh, whereas in the corresponding period of 2024 it was only 508,322 kWh – a reduction of 27,3 % and an energy saving of 191,199 kWh. The average temperature in both comparison periods was 8,8 degrees Celsius. Looking at heating alone, without the property's other electricity consumption, the energy used for heating fell by around 30 % over the review period. The review period does not yet include October, November and December. These are usually the months when heat pump efficiency is at its best and the savings are most significant. The estimated saving for the full year is around 50 %. The reduction in emissions in just nine months is as much as 37 tCO2. This is equivalent to driving around 300 000 km by car or 100 return flights from Helsinki to New York.

The payback period of the heat pump investment is estimated at 6–10 years Nordström mentions that the next goal could be installing solar panels, which would further improve the property's energy efficiency and reduce its environmental impact. The heat recovery contract carried out with Wirmax has been a significant step towards more sustainable living and energy solutions. For residents, this means lower energy bills and a more comfortable, more environmentally friendly living environment.

The housing company has been very satisfied with the straightforward cooperation with Wirmax, the keeping of schedules and the high-quality installations, says Nordström. Cooperation between Wirmax and the housing company continues with heating system maintenance, upkeep services and remote monitoring.

Wirmax Wise delivers energy solutions for housing companies and commercial properties on a turnkey basis. Our staff have expertise in ground source heat, heat recovery, air-to-water heat pumps, solar power and automation, as well as EV charging systems. We serve our customers with a team of more than 100 people.

For more information, contact Jori Kuikka, Business Director for Contracting: jori.kuikka@wirmax.fi, +358 44 7777 221