Citycon has started an extensive project worth over EUR 6 million to update the heating system of the shopping centre Iso Omena. The redevelopment project is being carried out over a four-year period and will result in estimated annual energy savings of 2,500 MWh.
Citycon is investing in energy efficiency by upgrading significant amount of the heating system in Iso Omena, in Espoo. The redevelopment process, which is to be completed over four years, will be carried out in separate project phases.
The 2021 project (Phase 1) entails the installation of technology enabling more effective control over ventilated air volumes as well as the installation of a new energy recycling heat pump system that allows the outgoing heat to be recycled back into the shopping centre’s heating networks.
The impact the redevelopment work has on the tenants and the customers is minimal as the work is primarily carried out in the technical facilities, parking hall, and on the roof.
The extensive redevelopment project started in June 2021, and the first phase was completed at the end of 2021. Costs for the first phase amount to EUR 1.5 million. The total estimated cost for the projects carried out in 2021–2024 is over EUR 6 million.
The unique project will have a substantial impact on energy savings for Iso Omena
Based on the calculations, the project is expected to reduce the energy consumption of Iso Omena considerably and reduce the need for procured heating energy by an estimated 75 per cent. At the annual level, estimated total heat energy savings are 2,500 MWh, which is the equivalent of the annual heat energy need for 1,200 apartments. From a financial perspective, the annual savings amount to more than EUR 100,000.
The project is unique in Finland from a size perspective, since as far as it is known, there are no other energy-saving investments on a Finnish commercial building that would equal the scope of the project in question. With the redevelopment project, Iso Omena will be exceptionally energy-efficient.
Iso Omena is already nearly carbon neutral in its own operation. All the electricity used by the property and offered for the tenantsis green. There are dozens of charging stations in the shopping centre where customers can charge their electric cars using the same green energy. In addition to all of this, the property’s district heating and cooling energy are CO2-free. Together with its partners, the shopping centre is also investigating the possibility of offsetting the emissions resulting from the transport of waste.
Citycon is also investing into the energy efficiency of its other properties: The urban centre Lippulaiva in Espoonlahti and Jakobsbergs Centrum in Sweden use geothermal energy in their heating and cooling. Citycon is committed to the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030.