Sivakka has more than 8,300 rental apartments in Oulu and the energy consumption of these dwellings is one of the company’s largest cost items. The bill from energy consumption is almost directly proportionate to the emissions originating in the properties. Sivakka’s ambition is to reduce both.

“In line with our values, we aim to develop all our operations sustainably. Our goal is to cut costs and reduce the environmental loading of our properties,” says Heikki Pohjola, Energy Expert at Sivakka.

It is hard work keeping track and reviewing electricity, water and heating consumption data when there are so many properties. All the same, we need to keep a close track on consumption so that even small optimisation can deliver big savings. It is precisely in monitoring energy consumption and planning optimisation measures that the OE360 service has eased and speeded up processes in Sivakka’s everyday operations.

“The OE360 service makes it possible, for example, to organise properties according to the required size, from the largest to the smallest. This makes it easy to study those properties that are at the bottom end of the report. These properties have switched over to looking for energy guzzlers such as leaking toilet cisterns or malfunctioning heating systems. After pinpointing faults, a start can be made on planning actions such as energy renovation and adjusting energy systems,” Pohjola says.

The OE360 service has been commended – the user-friendly interface works fast even with huge amounts of data. The service can conveniently provide direct emissions and cost coefficients in the required form such as euros or carbon emissions, for example.

“I can recommend the service based on user experience. It’s the best energy savings program that has been in use in my own career. OE360 is ideal for everyone, from property owners to limited liability housing company managers, interested in the energy consumption of properties,” Pohjola sums up.

Carbon-neutral district heating has helped Sivakka to reduce emissions originating in its properties

Sivakka compares energy consumption data each year and sets consumption goals for far into the future. This year, estimates of emissions from heating Sivakka’s properties are close to zero. This is partly because Sivakka has recently switched to Oulun Energia’s carbon-neutral district heating additional service in its properties.

“In recent years, we have studied various ways to reduce energy use and emissions. We compared, for example, the cost of installing and running heat pumps with Oulun Energia’s carbon-neutral district heating additional service and soon decided to opt for carbon-neutral district heating. It requires no expensive equipment or investment and is highly dependable,” Pohjola says.