Kotka landlord lets tenants cut rent by lowering heat

Tenants in selected Kotka apartment buildings can lower their rent by reducing their home’s temperature, in a trial run by city-owned Kotkan Asunnot, Yle reported.

The company’s apartments are normally kept at 21 to 22 degrees Celsius. Tenants who choose to lower the temperature to 20 degrees receive a monthly rent reduction of €9, €12 or €15, depending on the size of the apartment. Raising the temperature to 23 degrees increases the rent by the same amounts.

Nine apartment buildings were selected for the trial from the company’s 130 residential buildings. The buildings have heating systems that allow temperatures to be adjusted in individual apartments. Of the more than 300 apartments included, just under 50 tenants have joined the trial, and 75 per cent of them chose a lower temperature.

Jaana Penttilä, who rents a two-room apartment in central Kotka, opted to set her home to 20 degrees. Her rent will fall by €12 a month. She said the temperature was comfortable for her and that the saving was important. Tenants can reverse the temperature reduction if their homes become too cold.

The temperature controls are managed remotely through a system provided by DNA Wattinen. The company says lowering a home’s temperature by one degree reduces its energy consumption by three per cent.

The trial runs until the end of April, when Kotkan Asunnot will decide whether to continue the service. It is the first landlord in Finland to test the Toivelämpö service. Any expansion would be gradual, with a few new buildings added each year, as not all apartments have the required technology.