Finnish homes turn uninhabitable due to loud noise from geothermal heating systems
In 2020, a housing company in Lahti, Finland, switched its old district heating system to geothermal. While the move reduced heating costs and carbon footprint, it also led to unexpected issues. Soon after the installation, resident Maria Haikara noticed a loud humming noise in her home, making it uninhabitable. Despite a reduction in price, her property remains unsold.
This is not an isolated incident. Katri Biss, who bought a home in Kiuruvesi in 2006, experienced a similar issue when her building switched to geothermal in 2013. Today, her property is also vacant due to the harmful noise.
Despite numerous attempts to fix the issue and a €7,000 compensation from the housing company, the Biss family moved out in 2020. The harmful noise continues, and the situation remains unresolved.
Cases of noise from heat pumps making homes uninhabitable are rare but difficult to solve. The responsibility to remove the disturbance lies with the housing company. The housing health authority can issue warnings and directives, and if these fail, penalties.
In both Lahti and Kiuruvesi, authorities have issued warnings and directives to the housing companies. The latest deadline for the housing company in Lahti is September 2024. If the problem isn’t solved by then, a penalty may be imposed.
In Kiuruvesi, the noise in the Biss’ apartment has persisted for over a decade. However, the authorities have not imposed a penalty on the housing company. Instead, the Biss’ bedroom is still under a nighttime use ban that can only be lifted if measurements show that the health hazard has been removed.
While the housing company representative insists there is no longer a noise disturbance in the Biss’ apartment, the authorities have not approved the measurements provided.