Municipalities save over 200 million euros through energy upgrades

Finnish municipalities saved more than 200 million euros through energy-efficiency upgrades between 2017 and 2025, according to figures reported by Yle. The savings came from measures including building renovations and upgrades to ventilation and other systems.

The municipalities and joint municipal authorities involved invested 145 million euros in nearly 6,500 measures. By the end of 2025, the work was saving 618 gigawatt-hours of energy a year and cutting annual costs by 45 million euros.

Hollola, a municipality of about 23,000 people, has reduced energy use at its swimming pool by recovering heat from shower water. The pool’s water can be heated using that recovered heat as well as electricity and district heating. The upgrades cut the pool’s electricity and heating bills by 8,000 to 10,000 euros a month, and are expected to pay for themselves in less than three years.

Hollola has saved nearly 14,500 megawatt-hours of energy since 2019, equivalent to the annual consumption of about 800 electrically heated detached houses. The municipality estimates the savings at about 1.8 million euros.

The pool’s energy-efficiency measures cost just under 300,000 euros after energy support. The wider renovation of the swimming pool cost the municipality 13.7 million euros.

Replacing lighting was the most common energy-saving measure among participating municipalities. The biggest savings came from larger projects, such as comprehensive building renovations and upgrades to ventilation and other systems, Motiva’s lead specialist Saara Elväs told Yle.

Municipalities and joint municipal authorities spend about 700 million euros a year on energy, around three per cent of their operating costs, according to Vesa Peltola, a special adviser at the Association of Finnish Municipalities. He said reducing those costs could ease pressure to raise municipal taxes and service fees.

The energy-efficiency agreement included 152 municipalities and 12 joint municipal authorities, whose combined population accounts for more than 80 per cent of Finland’s population. Hollola has joined a new energy-efficiency agreement for the public sector.