By lowering the room temperature by one degree, you can save around 35 euros a year in an apartment heated by district heating.
The average surface area of the apartments in all Finnish buildings was 79.9 m2 in 2012. The average consumption of heating energy per apartment is around 166 kWh/m2 a year. The price of district heating sold by Helsingin Energia was, on average, €0.05 /kWh in 2013.
According to a wide-spread rule of thumb, one degree drop in room temperature equals five per cent savings in heating costs. Decreasing energy consumption also helps to significantly reduce climate emissions.
79.9 m2 x 166 kWh/m2 x €0.05 / kWh x 5% = around €35 a year.
Sources:
Statistics Finland: Asuntokanta, huoneiston keskimääräinen pinta-ala (m2) 1970-2012 (Housing stock, average surface area of apartments (m2) 1970–2012)
ILMANKOS project / Motiva: Data from the calculations of housing instructions brochure
Helsingin Energia: The price list of energy and water flow charges for district heating of households, spring 2014
By using a laptop instead of a PC, you can save around 155 euros a year.
Keeping the PC on for two hours every day costs nearly €180 a year. Using a laptop for the same time only costs around €25 a year.
€180 - €25 = €155
Sources:
Isännöintiliitto (2013): Energia ja koti – Ohjeita ja tietoa asukkaalle (Energy and home - Instructions and information for tenants).
By cutting your daily shower down from 10 minutes to 5 minutes, you can save 155 euros a year.
The flow rate of an average shower is 12 litres per minute, which means that a 5-minute shower takes up 60 litres of water, while a 10-minute shower takes up 120 litres. Around 60% of shower water is warm water. The cost of warm water as the country’s average is €4.18/m3 for cold water (€0.004/litre) and for warm water €8.94/m3 (€0.009/litre).
5-minute shower: €116.8 + €36.5 = rounded to €153.
- Warm water: 60% x 60 l x €0.009 / l = €0.32 / shower x 365 days = €116.8 a year
- Cold water: 40% x 60 l x €0.004 / l = €0.10 / shower x 365 days = €36.5 a year
10-minute shower: €237.3 + €69.4 = rounded to €307.
- Warm water: 60% x 120 l x €0.009 / l = €0.65 / shower x 365 days = €237.3 a year
- Cold water: 40% x 120 l x €0,004 / l = €0.19 / shower x 365 days = €69.4 a year
€307 - €153 = approx. €155 a year.
Sources:
Keski-Suomen Energiatoimisto: Vesipihi kerrostalo (Water-smart apartment building)
Vercon Oy: Paljonko vesi maksaa? (How much does water cost?)
By drying your laundry outside instead of using a tumble dryer, you can save 65 euros a year.
Drying laundry outside is free, using a tumble dryer costs €63 a year and using a drying cabinet costs €95, if 150 loads of laundry are washed in a year.
€63 - €0 = a rounded sum of €65 a year.
Sources:
Isännöintiliitto (2013): Energia ja koti - Ohjeita ja tietoa asukkaalle (Energy and home - Instructions and information for tenants)
By closing the door to a bathroom with a floor heating, you can save 290 euros a year.
If you leave the door open to a bathroom with electrically heated floor, warm air will flow elsewhere into the apartment, and heaters equipped with thermostats will stop operating while the floor heating will turn up. Heaters operating with district heating, however, are more cost-efficient than electric floor heating.
Because floor heating cannot keep the whole apartment warm, and the door is probably not open all the time, we have estimated that floor heating can amount to 30% of the consumption of heating energy in home. This means that 70% of a home’s heating energy is generated through district heating and 30% through electricity.
The average surface area of the apartments in all Finnish buildings was 79.9 m2 in 2012. The average consumption of heating energy per apartment is around 166 kWh/m2 a year. The price of district heating sold by Helsingin Energia was, on average, €0.05 /kWh in 2013 and the total price of electricity was €0.123 /kWh in 2014.
79.9 m2 x 166 kWh x 70% x €0.05 € / kWh = about €464
79.9 m2 x 166 kWh x 30% x €0.123 € / kWh = about €489
€464 + €489 = €953.
If only district heating was used, the cost would be 79.9 m2 x 166 kWh x €0.05 € / kWh = about €663
€953 - €663 = €290
Sources:
Statistics Finland: Asuntokanta, huoneiston keskimääräinen pinta-ala (m2) 1970-2012 (Housing stock, average surface area of apartments (m2) 1970–2012)
ILMANKOS project / Motiva: Data from the calculations of housing instructions brochure
Helsingin Energia: Price list of electricity and electricity distribution for households (prices checked on 23 April 2014)
You can save 60 euros a year by replacing your showerhead with a water-saving showerhead.
The flow rate of an average shower is 12 litres per minute. A water-saving shower head can conserve 25 to 50% of water, reducing the flow rate to 6-8 litres per minute. Around 60% of shower water is warm water. The cost of warm water as the country’s average is €4.18/m3 for cold water (€0.004/litre) and for warm water €8.94/m3 (€0.009/litre).
Ordinary 5-minute (60l) showers during one year: €116.8 + €36.5 = rounded to €153.
- Warm water: 60% x 60 l x €0.009 / l = €0.32 / shower x 365 days = €116.8 a year
- Cold water: 40% x 60 l x €0.004 / l = €0.10 / shower x 365 days = €36.5 a year
Water-saving 5-minute (40l) showers during one year: €73 + €21.9 = rounded to €95.
- Warm water: 60% x 40 l x €0.009 / l = €0.2 / shower x 365 days = €73 a year
- Cold water: 40% x 40 l x €0.004 / l = €0.06 / shower x 365 days = €21.9 a year
€153 + €95 = rounded to €60.
Sources:
Keski-Suomen Energiatoimisto: Vesipihi kerrostalo (Water-smart apartment building)
Vercon Oy: Paljonko vesi maksaa? (How much does water cost?)
