Recipes for Systemic Change - Helsinki Design Lab

Because of Finland's climate, the country's building stock has one of thehighest space heating demands in Europe. As such, building codes have astrong focus on thermal insulation and recent improvements have resultedin a 20-30% improvement in insulation levels in new buildings.Despite these improvements, an International Energy Agency (IEA)analysis reveals that Finland's building code standards are not as aggressiveas those of its neighbours:Country Overall U-Value* Average U-ValueDenmark 0,77 0,77Finland 0,91 1,01Norway 0,7 0,8Sweden 0,72 0,72*Overall U-values are calculated in order to compare across countries.It sums the U-values from the ceiling, wall, and floor, and adds 20% of windowvalue.In most cases, Finland's U-value reference figures have been overstated;they provide the builder with a 20% cushion depending on how they chooseto comply with the standard. This cushion effectively increases the U-valuefor the building by 20%, making full compliance with the target U-valuevoluntary. Under progressive regulations in other countries, the builder isgiven the option of over-complying in some areas and under-complying inothers to meet an overall energy standard for the building.D2.4 GHG EmissionsHeating is the biggest source of carbon emissions for housing andthe service sector, accounting for nearly 7% of total emissions. Becauseof Finland's diversified fuel mix and climactic variation between the andnorth and south areas of the country, emissions vary widely from regionto region. For instance, because the bulk of Helsinki's energy production,district heating and district cooling are generated from fossil fuels, the carbonfootprint of the city's residents may still surpass the levels of suburbanresidents who commute long distances to work. In addition, the number ofheating days in northern Finland can be double what is typical in Helsinki.However, since building code improvements were implemented inthe 1970's, total energy consumption per unit of heated space has droppednearly 40%. The widespread transition from oil-based heating to districtand electric heating has also produced a significant emissions reduction forboth the service and residential sectors.230