Technical building automation systems have a decisive impact on a building’s energy consumption. This has become evident at Tampere Exhibition and Sports Centre after the energy efficiency of the more than 5-hectare facility was systematically improved together with Fidelix’s experts.
The building automation system of Tampere Exhibition and Sports Centre had reached the end of its service life and was set for modernisation in 2021. The energy consumption of the centre’s five indoor halls needed to be monitored more closely, and the facilities needed to be adaptable for the requirements of different events.
In the project, the building automation system, which was over 20 years old, was replaced by modern, intelligent technology. Monitoring instruments were installed in the facilities, and ventilation was redesigned using technology that enables automatic adjustments to meet changing needs. At the same time, indoor lighting was replaced with LED lamps.
“The goal of the project was to upgrade the technology to improve the conditions of the halls and allow us to monitor how and where energy is consumed. This has been a clear success. Now, we are able to monitor indoor conditions and are able to serve the needs of users more effectively”, says Seppo Välimäki, the centre’s Technical Property Manager.
Continuous monitoring helps improve efficiency
It was understood at Tampere Exhibition and Sports Centre that the true benefits of the system are obtained when the accumulated data is used for the long-term optimisation of modernised technical building services.
To help achieve this, Marko Ylönen, Energy Manager at Fidelix, has assisted Välimäki and the centre’s property management in keeping track of data gathered by building automation and made numerous suggestions for improvements based on the data. In addition to the ability to adjust the systems, the monitoring has helped identify faulty valves, leaks and other issues after the renovation project.
“Thanks to the monitoring, we have been able to continuously cut down energy consumption. Fidelix’s expert is able to immediately identify and propose measures that we wouldn’t necessarily think of ourselves.”
Välimäki also praises the way the proposals have been brought up at follow-up meetings: with the help of calculations on the return on investment, it has been easy to estimate how much savings each measure would bring.
Energy consumption reduced by a third
The effects of the investments have been significant: Tampere Exhibition and Sports Centre has achieved a significant reduction in energy consumption.
“The city wanted to improve the energy efficiency of the centre in line with its environmental targets. We have now managed to reduce district heating consumption by 37% and electricity consumption by 18% from 2021 levels. The investment has been very profitable”, says Olli Tokoi, CEO of Tampere Exhibition and Sports Centre.
Marko Ylönen, Energy Manager at Fidelix, points out the possibilities afforded by optimisation.
“In many cases, modernisation projects are limited to only upgrading the technical systems, with everything else remaining unchanged. However, building automation in itself does not conserve energy or impact consumption. What really makes a difference is that the technology and the building are used in the most energy efficient way possible. This is where we can be of assistance.
How were the energy savings achieved?
- First, the buildings were upgraded to operate automatically by modernising the building automation system
- Fidelix’s Flow_how service optimised the building’s operations according to indoor and outdoor conditions
- Based on the monitoring, automation controls were adjusted to improve energy efficiency
- In the event of problems, Fidelix has assisted property management with remote monitoring
- The client has implemented energy efficiency measures proposed by Fidelix, such as equipment replacements and additional measurement points to optimise the monitoring of conditions.
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