Case studies

Informing consumers to save energy

Why?

There is a high potential for energy savings in the buildings sector. Even before the European Council set the objective of a 20% energy efficiency improvement by 2020, the EU Directive on energy end-use efficiency and energy services (2006/32/EC) required Member States to achieve at least 9% energy savings by 2016.

In Finland, energy conservation and energy efficiency have been promoted with agreements between the government and the industry since 1990s. Agreement activity has been an essential and cost-effective tool in implementing the Finnish energy policy. The heating sector’s contribution has also been made through a voluntary agreement by the industry.

What?

The Finnish oil sector has voluntarily continued the Energy Efficiency Agreement scheme without interruption now from the year 1997. The ongoing period is the fourth and called Höylä IV (plane). The agreement will be valid until 2025.  

The energy saving target should be achieved by communication activities towards consumers, to encourage them to maintain, modernise and replace their old oil boilers with new most energy efficient boilers suitable for existing Finnish houses and challenging climate conditions.

Another objective is to increase the use of renewable sources of energy. More specifically raise gradually the share of oil heating systems combined with solar systems, air-to-water heat pumps and other forms of renewable energy. One option is also to add sustainably produced bio-liquids into fossil heating oil.

The tools to achieve these objectives include the provision of advice, energy inspections of boilers and training and certification schemes for inspectors and installers.

New targets and tools for the period of 2017-2020 and beyond were specified in the fourth energy efficiency agreement (Höylä IV) signed in 2016. The latest agreement will respond especially the binding goals of the EU Energy Efficiency Directive.

Finland

Outcome

  • 120,000 boiler replacements between 1997 and 2014.
  • 400,000 further energy efficiency improvements in a stock of 200,000 buildings.
  • 3,085 GWh energy savings per year on average in oil-heated single-family dwellings.
  • Until 2020, the savings are expected to represent 17 % of the total 18,488 GWh energy savings target for the buildings sector.

"Finland´s energy efficiency agreements have been a success story. Especially from the HÖYLÄ (plane) energy efficiency agreements I-III with the oil sector, the achieved energy savings have been impressive. HÖYLÄ energy efficiency agreement has proved to be both energy and cost effective way to implement the obligations on boilers stated in the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. It has also provided an exceptionally broad channel to disseminate targeted information and advice on energy efficiency to households with oil heating, as requested by the Energy Services and Energy Efficiency Directives“, says Heikki Väisänen, Head of Unit for Energy Efficiency, Energy Authority. He is responsible for the national implementation of the ESD and the EED.


pdf informing consumers in finland