Media release 25 April 2024 at 8:00 a.m.
Unique in rental housing: Possibility for Lumo residents to reduce their housing carbon footprint to zero
Construction and buildings account for around 30 per cent of Finland’s total emissions. Operators in the construction and housing sector, including residents, have both the opportunity and the obligation to reduce emissions significantly.
In addition to the construction phase, it is important to take into account emissions generated from living when calculating the emissions of the built environment. It is the property owner’s responsibility to ensure that the property is as energy efficient as possible, and that the majority of the energy used is carbon neutral. Residents, in turn, have the power to influence the carbon footprint of everyday living.
The role of a Lumo resident in reducing the carbon footprint of housing to zero
Lumo has actively invested in the opportunities for around 60,000 residents to live in a sustainable way while reducing their own carbon footprint.
With the Lumo’s carbon footprint test, Lumo residents can assess the sustainability of their own lifestyle. As a result of the survey, the resident will receive personalised tips for a more sustainable everyday life. One tip that the test provides is the Lumo’s Zero-carbon heating service, which reduces a Lumo home's carbon footprint for heating to zero for one year at a time.
In addition to heating, residents have the opportunity to influence housing emissions through their own electricity agreement. As a latest incentive, Lumo offers its residents the opportunity to buy renewable electricity at a discounted price.
"By procuring renewable electricity and zeroing the carbon footprint of heating, the resident practically reduces the carbon footprint of living to zero. This is unique in rental housing," says Niina Turri, Sustainability Manager at Kojamo and Lumo Homes.
"The electricity used for charging in Lumo’s own parking spaces is also carbon neutral. So, with us, drivers can also opt for emission-free transport. We have added charging points for electric cars to the parking spaces of Lumo buildings, and there are already charging points at more than 1,500 parking spaces."
Kojamo promotes carbon-neutral energy use at its properties
In its sustainability programme, Kojamo is committed to achieving carbon-neutral energy use in Lumo buildings by 2030. The company has made a long-term effort to reduce the carbon footprint of Lumo homes, and steady progress has been made in line with the targets, but also with some larger leaps forward.
The annual carbon dioxide emissions reduction target per apartment has been four per cent, and, as of 2024, five per cent. The carbon footprint of Lumo homes per apartment decreased by up to 16.9% in 2023 compared to the previous year, being 0.8 t CO2e per apartment. This is the sum of many factors.
"In all Lumo buildings, we have used carbon-neutral property electricity for several years to illuminate communal spaces and yards, heat the shared saunas, run the washing machines in the washing room and power the buildings' ventilation systems," says Turri.
"In addition, almost 150 Lumo buildings are heated either by renewable district heating or carbon-neutral geothermal heat and electricity. We are continuously increasing the use of renewable energy in the heating of Lumo buildings."
Energy efficiency has been the target of development at Kojamo for years. Among other things, Kojamo monitors and optimises the heating of almost 31,000 Lumo homes in real time. The solution uses predictive artificial intelligence to automatically adjust the heating of a building according to the actual temperature inside the apartments as well as the weather forecast, optimising both the comfort of living and energy consumption.
“As the owner, we will continue to develop the energy efficiency of our properties and increase the share of renewable energy – and we want to involve also residents in climate action,” Turri concludes.
For more information: Niina Turri, Sustainability Manager, Kojamo plc, tel. +358 20 508 4018, niina.turri@kojamo.fi
Kojamo is Finland’s largest private residential real estate company and one of the biggest investors in Finland. Our mission is to create better urban living. Lumo offers environmentally friendly housing and services for the city dweller who appreciates quality and effortlessness. We actively develop the value of our investment properties by developing new properties and our existing property portfolio. We want to be the property market frontrunner and the number one choice for our customers. Kojamo’s shares are listed on the official list of Nasdaq Helsinki. For more information, please visit: https://kojamo.fi/en