Ilmastokatu, Climate Street Ilmastokatu, Climate Street

FINLAND, Helsinki-Uusimaa Region

by: City of Helsinki Environment Centre (main partner, Public authority), City of Vantaa Environment Centre, Green Building Council Finland, HSY Climate Info and Aalto University

S3 domain: Urban cleantech

Energy topics:    Smart cities

Innovation type:    Service

Level of Good Practice implementation:     Local 

DESCRIPTION

Investing into solar power (PV) was made as easy as possible for property owners: solar surveys were offered to the housing companies and other properties. Solar surveys are used to find out the profitability of a solar panel investment and support decision-making: survey reports include installation suggestions, dimensioning, economic calculations and a ready-made form for tendering. Property owners were also given energy efficiency guidance. A housing company Chairpersons’ Club is a successful cooperation model and serves as a good communication channel with housing companies. Gadgets that measure or reduce energy consumption were tested and presented to the public in the Smart Gadgets event. Inhabitants reduced their carbon footprint with a personal climate trainer.

The cities of Helsinki and Vantaa aim to be carbon neutral by 2050. The cities can’t achieve this only by themselves, participation of citizens and businesses is needed as well to create and use new, economically sustainable modes of operation. The project has aimed to reduce the region's greenhouse gas emissions in a way that will benefit both the local residents, businesses and other stakeholders.

In urban cleantech priority the aim is to solve environmental challenges in cities by developing and piloting new solutions, technologies and service models e.g. for renewable energy, energy efficiency and low carbon emissions. Piloting solar power in a housing company and piloting means for reducing energy consumption together with residents as done in this project are good examples of grassroots implementation of the strategy. It improves the energy efficiency and at the same time helps SMEs to bring their solutions to market.
Between 2015 and2017 Climate Street operated at grass root level together with local residents, property owners and businesses. The idea for the project came from “The best energy efficiency practices” report in which Climate Street from Amsterdam Utrechtsestraat was presented as a case. Inspired by the Utrechtsestraat, two Climate Streets were developed as open innovation platforms: one is Iso Roobertinkatu in the City of Helsinki and the other is Tikkuraitti-Asematie in the City of Vantaa.

City of Helsinki Environment Centre was the main partner in the Climate Street project. Other partners were City of Vantaa Environment Centre, Green Building Council Finland, HSY Climate Info and Aalto University. Target groups were local residents, property owners, businesses and other stakeholders. Stakeholders were involved in the project through several workshops, meetings, training and events.

Stakeholders involved in implementation

  • Public authority
  • Economic and/or innovation agency
  • Energy agency
  • Intermediary
  • Research actors
  • SMEs
  • NGO
  • Civil society

Beneficiaries

  • Public authority
  • SMEs
  • Civil society

 

The project was implemented through the following actions: developing climate smart business with local entrepreneurs in workshops, gadgets that measure or reduce energy consumption tested and presented to the public in the Smart Gadgets event, energy efficiency planning and measures in the properties, developing a cooperation model with the actors in the area, Energy efficient terrace competition and piloting, visualisation of energy consumption, solar surveys as decision making tools to establish profitability of investments, agile experiments, carbon footprint measurement, personal climate trainers.

Sustainable growth and jobs 2014 - 2020 - Finland's structural funds programme, ESIF

Policy: 2. Production and utilisation of latest knowledge and expertise

Public funding sources

  • ESIF T01 (research and innovation)
  • Local Funds

Results achieved

Energy consumption and GHG-emissions of the project areas were reduced: carbon footprint was calculated in 12 properties of the Climate Street in the beginning and the middle of the project. At that point carbon footprint was reduced by 12 % in commercial properties. Carbon footprint is expected to reduce more within near future when the properties implement the energy efficiency plans executed during the project. The first PV panels with an annual production capacity of 6 500 kWh were implemented by a housing company in the city centre of Helsinki, there were fully operational in the summer of 2016. Ten businesses tested their smart&clean solutions in Climate Streets. About 10 local businesses developed climate smart services and products. 10 businesses and 17 housing companies were given energy efficiency guidance. At least 10 properties have implemented energy efficiency measures. Gadgets that measure or reduce energy consumption were tested and developed further. The awareness of energy consumption has grown.

Future perspectives

Climate Streets will be utilised as open innovative platforms and as testbeds for smart&clean solutions. New sustainable modes of operation developed in the project will be used in other areas of the involved cities also. Lessons learned and best practices are compiled in the Climate Street tool kit for anyone’s use.

HIGHLIGHTS
User-orientated approach was highly successful. The needs of the actors were considered when planning how to reduce the region's greenhouse gas emissions in a way that will benefit both the local residents, businesses and other stakeholders. Especially SME’s with little resources need easy turnkey solutions. Most successful measures were solar surveys, agile pilots, energy efficient terrace competition and the Smart Gadgets event.

Most important difficulties

The decision making process in the housing companies is relatively slow which means that many energy efficiency investments will be implemented after the two-year-project.

Lessons learned

Peer support and experiences motivate more than expert statements. Connect with local businesses and property owners face to face. Listen to the stakeholders and find solutions that match their needs. Bring actors of the area together as often as possible to speed up cooperation between the actors. Make climate actions of the businesses and properties seen with communications, i.e. window stickers. Offer support in implementation. Carry out agile pilots for quick results.

Lessons learned and best practices are presented in the Climate Street Tool Kit available on the project’s website (www.ilmastokatu.fi/en/toolkit). In addition, Aalto University has produced the project’s evaluation report (available on  the same web page, in Finnish).

Type
  • Flagship project
  • Key actors Platform (for regional cooperation)
  • Interregional or International cooperation 
  • Intelligence tool (measurement, analysis, foresight, evaluation…)
  • Awareness-raising

Highlights
  • Relevance to national and/or regional energy strategy 
  • High impact potential
  • Civil society participation
  • Inter-regional cooperation
  • Leading to private investments
  • Transferability of the practice

References:

http://ilmastokatu.fi/en/

Contact persons:

Viliina Evokari, City of Helsinki, Viliina.evokari@hel.fi; +358 40 519 7544