Lahti is aiming for 5-10% energy savings through a comprehensive programme.
On Monday, the Lahti City Council approved the energy saving programme with minor changes. Other savings measures were passed, except for a reduction in the opening hours of the swimming pools.
Keeping the pools open for two hours less than they are now would have saved 80 megawatt hours of electricity and heat per year.
Otherwise, the energy savings programme is quite comprehensive. Where possible, the indoor temperature in various rooms is reduced by one or two degrees. A one-degree drop will reduce heating energy demand by 5%. In schools and kindergartens, the minimum temperature is 20 degrees.
Ventilation is also an important means of saving money. By compromising on that, you can save up to ten percent on electricity and one fifth on heat per room.
Electricity is also saved for lighting. Lighting is calculated in indoor areas such as corridors and lobbies, but not in, for example, work, teaching and daycare group spaces. Unnecessary lights are to be kept off and indoor space heaters are not to be used.
Indoor and outdoor lighting is switched off in the properties where it is possible.
The savings program also includes the freezing limit for the heating of sports fields, which football clubs unanimously oppose. The limit is set at five degrees below zero – in colder weather, the fields are not heated.
Savings reduce comfort and increase feelings of insecurity
Energy saving can be seen in the darkness of autumn and winter as the lighting in public areas decreases. In the city center, the hours of use of ball lights and tree lights on Aleksi valokatu, Rautatinkatu will be shortened. Savings are being accumulated, but the downside is recognized as the decrease in comfort in the city center.
Street lighting is negotiated outside the city center as well. The street lights will be turned off completely at night until May. Savings from this are estimated to be 400,000 euros annually.
Lights are also turned off more sensitively than before on outdoor paths.
The ice market will not be implemented in the coming winter, which is calculated to reduce electricity consumption by 90 megawatt hours and bring savings of one hundred thousand euros.
Lahti aims for 5-10 percent energy savings with the program. Savings are needed because electricity shortages are predicted for the winter. The economy is also in the background, as energy is known to become more expensive in the coming months.
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