Energy saving programme for the City of Vantaa for winter 2022–23

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has changed the energy situation in Europe. The availability and price of energy has an impact on everyone's daily life. Everyone should be prepared for the possibility of occasional electricity shortages.

With the measures of the energy saving programme, the City of Vantaa will reduce its own energy consumption and aim to cut consumption peaks. In this way, the city contributes to the prevention of the threat of energy shortages. The programme sets a good example for other actors and residents of the municipality. The aforementioned working group is preparing for possible power outages in the coming winter.

In addition to immediate measures, the city will increase energy saving investments as well as the involvement and communication of personnel and Group companies in energy matters.

Content of the energy saving programme

Immediate energy saving measures

Building technology saving measures in premises 

• Reduction of indoor temperatures in city properties to a minimum of +20°C and optimisation of the use of ventilation.
  • Schools, administrative and office premises, storage rooms and meeting rooms (youth and cultural facilities, libraries and indoor sports facilities).
  • Exceptions are health care service facilities and daycare centres, where temperatures will not be lowered.

Measures to save lighting in public urban spaces

• Shortening the operating hours of outdoor lighting by about 300 hours per year (1h/day).

Saving measures in indoor and outdoor sports facilities

• Closing outdoor fields and turning off lighting between 10 pm and 7 am.
• Ending the freezing of artificial ice rinks earlier in the spring.
• Shortening the snowmaking season on ski trails and avoiding the use of snow cannons during peak hours.
• Staggering the use of saunas in swimming pools so that not all saunas are on at the same time.
• Staggering the use of electric saunas in Kuusijärvi.

Energy saving investments in the next few years

Target:

• Solar power, geothermal heat or other renewable energy will be installed in each new building, depending on the possibilities of the construction project in question and the legislation in force.
• In old buildings, installations will be carried out depending on the possibilities and the legislation in force.
• Abandonment of oil heating between 2020–23/start of 2024
• Increasing LED lighting
  • Almost 50% of the lighting in premises has been renewed, and LED lighting is automatically installed in new locations.
  • In the outdoor lighting of streets and parks, 1,000 luminaires are replaced with LEDs every year.
• Better utilisation of building automation systems with remote control.
• Construction of remote control systems also for sites under the control of the City Group.
• Utilisation of the strategic partnership agreement with Vantaa Energy, for example for district heating
• Construction of Vantaa Energy's seasonal district heat storage facility in Kuninkaala

Personnel and Group company involvement and communications

• The city's eco support persons will guide everyday life to environmentally friendly actions, such as encouraging energy saving (for example, turning off lights, computers and displays after working hours) and the timing of electricity use outside consumption peaks.
• The city's internal communications will encourage employees to report energy-hungry sites (equipment, building services, lighting) and reward the reporting persons.
• An energy saving competition will be held in schools and kindergartens, the winners of which will be awarded.
• The communications addressed to residents will strengthen the energy saving advice provided by Motiva and HSY's Climate Info in cooperation with Vantaa Energy.
• The city also requires City Group companies to draw up their own energy saving plans and present them to the city's energy saving group.

Monitoring the energy saving programme

The implementation of the energy saving programme will be regularly monitored by the city’s Management Team and its progress will be announced on the City of Vantaa website. The programme may be revised during the winter. The effects of the measures will be reported in spring 2023.