A district heating bill has two parts: the energy charge, which follows the kilowatt-hours consumed, and the capacity charge, which is set by the property's peak heating power. Both can be influenced. In most housing companies, savings do not require new windows or extra insulation. They require getting the heating system to work the way it should.

Below are the methods in order of effort, from the easiest to the most impactful.

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1. Check the substation settings

The cheapest savings are found in the heat distribution room. In many buildings the heating curve has stayed where it was set years ago, and it is often set too high just to be safe. Things to check:

  • the level and shape of the heating curve: is the building heated more than necessary in spring and autumn
  • supply water temperature in mild weather: it can often be lowered without anyone noticing
  • summer shutdown: is the heating circuit running for no reason when it is warm outside
  • domestic hot water temperature: high enough for hygiene, but not unnecessarily high

These are small changes, but they show up directly in the energy charge.

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2. Remove overheating and balance the radiator network

Each extra degree of room temperature raises heating costs by about five percent. Housing companies typically have apartments at 23-24 °C because the settings are made so that the coldest apartment in the building stays warm. The fix is balancing the radiator network and checking the thermostats, so heat is distributed evenly and the heating curve does not have to stay high because of a few apartments.

The problem is that without apartment-level measurement, overheating is invisible. The meters in the distribution room tell you what goes into the building, not what the apartments are like.

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3. Ventilation and the building envelope

Ventilation is a major source of heat loss. In mechanical exhaust ventilation, warm indoor air is blown out and replacement air is heated again. Check the ventilation schedules and fan speeds, and if the building has heat recovery, that it actually works. Sealing windows and doors is an inexpensive measure that reduces draughts and the need to keep temperatures high.

Larger envelope and window renovations should be assessed separately: payback periods are long, and they are not the first step.

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4. Intelligent heating control

Steps 1 and 2 are one-off adjustments made at one outdoor temperature, and they drift over time. Intelligent heating control does the same thing continuously: it measures apartment temperatures, monitors the property's energy consumption and adjusts heating according to actual demand, the weather forecast and the building's behaviour. At the same time it spots anomalies, such as a leaking valve or a malfunctioning pump, before they show up on the bill.

This is the foundation of Voltria's Intelligence service: the existing controller stays in place, remotely read temperature sensors are installed in the apartments, and heating is controlled continuously according to measured demand.

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‍5. Hybrid heating alongside district heating

The largest savings potential is in hybrid heating, where an alternative heat source is added alongside district heating. The property is heated with whichever energy is cheaper at the time, and the share of district heating is reduced when its price is high. Hybrid also affects the capacity charge: when the district heating peak power is reduced, the property's capacity charge goes down.

Hybrid is Voltria's service that combines intelligent control and hybrid heating. It typically suits housing companies with more than 35 apartments, where heating costs are high enough for hybrid to pay off. Read more in Savings service for housing companies or see our services.

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How much can a housing company save?

The savings potential depends on the building's age, current settings and heating system. Typical levels:

  • 5-10 % through heating system settings and optimisation (steps 1-3)
  • 8-12 % through intelligent heating control
  • 15-25 % through hybrid heating combined with intelligent control

With Voltria's services, the investment and installation cost the housing company nothing, and the service is paid for from measured savings. If there are no savings, there is no bill.

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Find out your building's savings potential

The first step is to find out how the property uses energy today. Consumption history and an analysis of how the heating system operates often reveal more optimisation opportunities than expected.

Estimate your savings with Voltria's savings calculator and book a free 30-minute introduction. In the introduction we go through your property's starting point and give a concrete estimate of the savings in euros. You can also contact us, and we will tell you what your housing company can save.