helen

When it comes to Finnish housing, the challenge is ever-increasing heating costs and the need to ensure good indoor air quality. Helen also wanted to find new ways to take advantage of digital services. To solve the problem, we helped create a digital strategy for energy efficiency services. 

Starting with a vision and strategy for Helen’s renewables business, we worked in close cooperation with Helen to find new business opportunities, concept early solutions, validate them with customers, and take the ones with the most potential to market. We set up an agile team to innovate faster, create new business models, and build better products for customers. Our approach included: 

• The vision for sustainable energy
• Strategy for new business areas
• Business model validation
• An agile team to design, implement, and create demand

After the strategy work, we co-developed the first version of Kiinteistövahti with Helsingin kaupungin asunnot (heka), a company wholly owned by the City of Helsinki and the largest landlord in Finland with around 50,000 apartments. The goal was to optimize heating costs and improve living conditions using sensor technology, data, and automation. We undertook definition, user studies, and concepting as well as creating the microarchitecture, IoT service, control, and digital service to monitor and operate heating centrally. 

The power of Kiinteistövahti is based on the efficient use of data. By analyzing the temperature and humidity data, it is possible to find out when the building is heated too much and too little. Kiinteistövahti allows the monitoring of the effects of the adjustments and helps to ensure that the conditions improve. In addition, the service results in both energy use and cost reductions.

Creating a digital service strategy 
We helped Helen to define the service and create a strategy for how to take advantage of new digital service opportunities. The Kiinteistövahti service is now available all over Finland for housing associations of all sizes and types.

Ensuring comfort
Kiinteistövahti identifies hidden problems that may not yet be visible to the naked eye. These can be, for example, problems related to air humidity. The interior temperature of the apartments also remains constant throughout the heating season. 

Saving money
By reducing unnecessary heating, the service decreases energy consumption, lowering costs for housing associations.