District heating is a sustainable solution in many ways
The same factors are at play in choosing your energy solution for the home as they are for larger buildings. Antti Välitalo relies on district heating both at work and at home.
Antti Välitalo’s family lives in a beautiful house in Oulu’s new residential neighbourhood, Hiukkavaara. Antti and his wife Henrika Hokkanen moved into the house in May with their young daughter, Hilda. The house, built in 2017, has district heating.
“We are familiar with district heating, as our previous homes in a terraced house and even in apartment buildings have also had district heating,” says Antti Välitalo.
Antti and Henrika are satisfied district heating customers, as there is plenty of constant heat. District heated water heats their house through hydronic underfloor heating.
“And when there isn’t a separate boiler, you can’t run out of hot water,” Antti says.
Saves living space
Antti Välitalo is an entrepreneur at an HPAC engineering agency. He is familiar with district heating through his work, too, as most of the residential properties, nursing homes, and commercial properties his company works on are connecting to district heating. When designing a building, the HPAC engineer dimensions the technical space. This is another one of the advantages of district heating, as each built square metre costs money.
“District heating equipment can fit in a fairly small space, and the technical space doesn’t take up valuable living space either,” Välitalo notes.
Although other heating options have emerged alongside district heating, Välitalo thinks that district heating is still current because it is compact and constructing it is relatively inexpensive. These factors are particularly evident for big buildings.
An environmentally friendly solution
The environmental friendliness of both detached houses and larger buildings is increasingly important. Välitalo believes that in the future, district heating will be produced increasingly carbon neutrally.
“I think that district heating is an environmentally friendly choice and I believe that in the future, it will increasingly be produced with renewable energy,” he reflects.
District heating is also environmentally friendly in a life cycle sense. Välitalo describes the district heating system as a basic technique that endures.
“The motor or pump of a valve could break, but no more than that. They’re cheap to fix, a few hundred euros at most.”
Why district heating?
Easy and reliable
District heating is a safe and reliable heating method for the customer. Security of supply is as high as 99.98%. District heating equipment is long-lasting and easy to maintain.
Consumption and use of district heatingA stable price
Oulun Energia's district heating production is largely based on the use of renewable energy sources and the utilization of waste heat, which keeps the consumer price moderate.
Price of district heatingEnvironmentally responsible
District heating is produced sustainably and efficiently in Oulun Energia’s power plants from the region’s own raw materials. A centralised heat production significantly reduces local emissions and increases residential satisfaction.
Production of district heatingThe article was originally published in the Oulun Energia customer magazine in February 2022. Written by Kati Jurkko.
