A large Helsinki-based housing company is renovating its entire energy system at once. Once completed, it will become clear how much the contract will cost the state.
Flat rumble greets street walkers on Mannerheimintie. On the hillside in the courtyard of the apartment building, you can see the cause of the noise: a rigid drilling rig that penetrates the rock to a depth of 400 meters.
The Ostrobothnian company Rototec is drilling geothermal wells for the housing company’s needs.
Work began as early as last year, and by the end of January, 18 heat wells should be ready for installation work. The total depth of the wells is more than seven kilometers.
When the next heating season begins next autumn, Asunto-osakeyhtiö Mannerheimintie 87–89 will disconnect from the Helsinki district heating network.
“We are becoming self-sufficient and environmentally friendly in terms of heating,” says the chairman of the board Juha Tehikari.
The old heating system of the condominium had come to an end, so something had to be done anyway. Tehikari calculates that the journey from idea to implementation has been about five years.
The solution has been honed in its various stages at three Annual General Meetings, the most recent and decisive of which was last autumn.
Chairman Juha Tehikari is pleased that the big contract is progressing.
Tehikarin The housing association is at the forefront of change, as the Executive Director of the Finnish Heat Pump Association Jussi Hirvosen According to the report, about 300–500 housing associations in Finland switch from district heating to geothermal energy per year.
Last year, 300 operating permits were issued in Helsinki for geothermal wells, but the figure includes all sites, including detached houses and commercial premises. The building inspectorate does not compile statistics on how many applicants are specifically disconnecting from district heating.
Head of the Building Services Unit Petri Perkiömäki says that applications for permits to make geothermal wells are increasing in any case. The popularity of geothermal energy is growing, especially in new properties.
“An operating permit can also be issued when the property is on a leased plot. The city’s leased plots will be systematically authorized if only other conditions are met. ”
When deciding on the permit, the conditions of the plot are assessed and it is checked that no tunnels or trunk pipes, for example, are hidden underground.
Hirvosen according to the system changes have been boosted by the price of district heating.
“The pace has only accelerated as the price of district heating has risen, and coal is worrying,” says Hirvonen.
In Finland, a ban on burning coal will come into force in 2029. So far, for example, the City of Helsinki’s energy company Helen produces about half of its district heating with coal.
“In many cases, shareholder compensation can be calculated immediately. If a housing company takes out a 15-year investment loan, the loan management costs may be lower than the district heating bill, ”says Hirvonen.
Depending on the site, the investment costs for geothermal energy in a housing association can range from a few hundred thousand euros to half a million euros. In addition to the conditions of the plot, the price is also affected by the size of the housing association. Tehikari has a total of 106 apartments.
Driller Markku Martikainen from Rototec pours fuel oil into the tank of a drilling machine.
Helen manager Maiju Westergrenin According to Helen, some dozens of properties leave the district heating network every year. Similarly, hundreds of new customers are joining the network.
Helen’s district heating customers are about 7,000 housing companies.
“So this trend (disconnection) is not yet, but it will be interesting to see which direction we go. Perhaps the trend is more interest in our own energy production. This is reflected, among other things, in the fact that properties are increasingly installing solar panels, ”says Westergren.
According to Westergren, price or concerns about emissions do not fully explain the interest in geothermal energy. District heating as a whole is still relatively affordable for apartment buildings, and carbon emissions are also declining.
Helen’s district heating carbon emissions will halve in a couple of years when the Hanasaari power plant is closed.
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An energy grant is available for a maximum of 50% of the eligible costs
Terrestrial the government is helping to accelerate the energy transition of housing associations. Housing companies switching to low-emission heating have the opportunity to receive a grant of EUR 4,000–6,000 per apartment.
This carrot is of interest.
The Housing Finance and Development Center ARA is currently processing 1,928 energy grant applications. Of these, 641 are applications from communities such as housing associations and 1,287 from individuals.
An energy grant is available for a maximum of 50% of the eligible costs. An allowance of more than 4,000 euros per apartment is only possible if the house is repaired to almost zero energy, says the chief inspector Johanna Heikkilä.
The subsidy is paid ex post on the basis of actual invoices and only when the decrease in energy consumption has been demonstrated by an official energy certificate. Therefore, the exact amount of the grant is not yet known on Mannerheimintie either.
“Yes, we should get the maximum grant, because the energy comparison is made to the original form of heating the building, which in 1951 was coal,” says Tehikari.
Shareholders however, the compensation for the two residential buildings on Mannerheimintie cannot be calculated due to the energy renovation, as other renovation projects are being carried out in the same context.
In addition to the geothermal system, the housing company will install cooling piping up to the apartments. Shareholders can then decide whether to purchase a cooling system for their apartment at their own expense.
The cooling system also contributes to improving the efficiency of geothermal energy.
A system will also be installed in the apartments to improve the current gravity ventilation, where the existing ventilation valves will be replaced by intelligent valves.
Because the geothermal and cooling system consumes electricity, the condominium procures solar panels for the roofs. At the same time, readiness to charge electric cars will be installed in car parks. It is also possible to receive energy subsidies for these system changes.
Due to the surface damage caused by the installation work, it has been decided to paint the stairwells, and at the same time the original doors of the apartments will be replaced. The new doors will also have a modern locking system.
Finland Hirvonen, Executive Director of the Heat Pump Association, has one clear piece of advice for housing companies that are pushing for a transition to geothermal energy.
“Hire a project consultant! The project consultant will carry out the baseline study, request tenders, apply for operating permits and grants, and supervise the contract. ”
Mannerheimintie 87–89 is satisfied with the selection of the project consultant.
“A consultant is really needed. He competed for the contract on our behalf, and there were 4–5 bids, ”says Tehikari.
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source https://pledgetimes.com/energy-a-group-of-helsinki-residents-started-an-ambitious-project-to-cut-the-heating-bill-now-seven-kilometers-of-wells-are-being-drilled-along-mannerheimintie/
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