Almost every district heating provider has its own customer portal where you can view consumption in detail and download the data to your own computer. This guide walks through where the data is found and how to download it using two example companies: Lahti Energia and Helen. The same principle applies to most other providers.


Why you should get your district heating consumption data

Consumption data is useful in many situations. It lets you check your bill, follow how consumption develops year over year and spot anomalies such as an unexpected jump in a particular month.

The data is also needed when a housing company is considering heating optimization or an energy-saving service. The service provider usually needs the consumption history to assess the savings potential.


What data to download

If you're collecting data for an energy-saving service (such as Voltria's), download the consumption history for as long a period as possible. A good rule of thumb is 36 months, i.e. three years back from today. That way several heating seasons are included and the seasonal variation in consumption shows clearly.

Preferably download the data in CSV format. CSV is a simple table format that almost any program can read. If the portal only offers an Excel file, that works too, since Excel can be saved as CSV.

The more granular the data, the more valuable it is compared with plain monthly totals. If you can choose the resolution, choose hourly resolution.


Lahti Energia: OmaWatti

Service name: OmaWatti

Link: https://omawatti.lahtienergia.fi

Instructions:

  1. Log in to OmaWatti. On your first visit you need to create an account at omawatti.lahtienergia.fi.
  2. A property manager can request a separate property manager account from Lahti Energia customer service, which shows all the housing companies they represent under a single login.
  3. From the menu in the top left corner, select Kulutuksen tarkkailu (consumption monitoring).
  4. Select district heating, then the period and resolution you want (for example hourly, daily or monthly).
  5. Download the data to your computer. OmaWatti also provides the data as a CSV file.

Note that an individual resident cannot see apartment-level district heating consumption, because the district heating contract is held by the housing company. The whole building's consumption is visible with the housing company's or property manager's login.


Helen: Oma Helen and Yritys Helen

Service name: Oma Helen (private customers) and Yritys Helen (business customers)

Link: https://www.helen.fi (log in via browser)

Instructions:

  1. Log in to Oma Helen or Yritys Helen in a browser at helen.fi. Note that district heating consumption data is only available in the browser version, not in the mobile app.
  2. Select the Lämmitys (heating) section.
  3. View district heating consumption at the resolution you want (hourly, daily, monthly or yearly) and select the period.
  4. Download the report for the selected period. If the file comes in Excel format, it can be saved as CSV.

The housing company's data is visible to the party that holds the district heating contract, typically the housing company or the property manager.


Other district heating companies

With other companies the principle is the same, even if the portal's name varies. Log in to the company's customer portal, find the district heating consumption or heating section, select the period and download the file.

If you can't find a download option in the portal, ask customer service. Energy companies also provide consumption history on request. In that case, ask for 36 months of data, preferably in CSV format.


If you can't access the data

A housing company board member doesn't always have their own portal login. In that case, ask the property manager for the data, as they have access to the housing company's district heating contract.

A property manager can request a property manager account from Lahti Energia and use Yritys Helen with Helen. If the portal is unclear to use, the energy company's customer service can help you find the right view.


How to use the consumption data

Once you have the housing company's district heating consumption history, you can assess whether optimizing the heating would pay off. Voltria's services Älysäästö and Hybridisäästö are designed for housing companies: the housing company makes no investment and takes no loan, the service provider owns and maintains the equipment, and the fee is based on the savings achieved. Read more about the service and how it fits a housing company.

Book a 30-minute demo and we'll go through what your consumption data says about your housing company's situation: Book a meeting. You can also try the savings calculator.