Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme funded SMARCTIC project partner Lapland University of Applied Sciences (LUAS) is developing a pilot based on smart city technologies that brings together data and services from multiple public sources to improve a community’s capability to facilitate changing user needs and increased energy performance. They will use predictive analysis to promote proactive building maintenance and performance optimisation.

Heating optimization

Most of the energy is used to heating, especially in the winter have a common problem in public spaces, is either over heating or under heating. One cause of the problem in Finland is the temperature variation from -30 to +30 degrees and another cause of the problem in these kinds of spaces is the variety in the number of people in the space simultaneously. Real-time outdoor and indoor temperature measurement shows the reaction of the room temperature to the prevailing outdoors conditions.

Reusage of excess heat

Our project partner has new sensor configuration completed and the system in use. With the new configuration are getting a lot more and better data than previously. E.g. much more accurate energy consumption readings and amounts of excess heat and how much of it is reused during the days.

They said that it seems that the amount of excess heat is even more than anticipated and the next step will be to calculate the most efficient ways for the reusage. The idea has been to reuse the excess heat in Lappi Areena or use it in Ounashalli that is located right next to Lappi Areena.

LUAS shared that ”As the awareness of our project has spread, we have now been contacted by a local gymnastics club. They are planning a new gymnastics hall near these buildings and they are interested in using this excess heat in their halls heating”.

Solar energy

In Lapland University of Applied Sciences are working making calculations on several different size solar panel plants based on the actual amounts of produced energy by solar panels in Rovaniemi, costs of panels installed and payback times.

Energy consumption is so high even in summertime, that no matter how big a solar plant they build all the energy will go straight into use.