German-backed Siemens Group celebrates

The award followed the contributions Siemens made at the Sello shopping mall in Finland’s Espoo, which were upgrading the building automation and air-handling systems as well as optimising demand control of the heating and cooling plants.

The jury was impressed with the annual energy savings amounting to more than 2.5 million kilowatt hours (kWh), compared to the consumption prior to the renovation, this represents a reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of about 20 per cent and a reduction in energy costs of approximately 25 per cent.
 
Kauppakeskus Sello in Leppävaara in the Finnish municipality of Espoo is one of Northern Europe’s most environmentally friendly shopping malls. With Siemens’s help, the private operating group modernised the mall from the ground up and now achieves average savings of 1.25 million kWh of electricity and 1.3 million kWh of thermal energy, corresponding to a reduction of 27 and 15 per cent respectively compared to prior consumption.

The annual CO2 emissions have been cut by at least 630 tonnes, and the yearly energy costs have been reduced by at least 133,000 euros.

Between October 2010 and September 2011, the time period relevant for the award, the savings guaranteed by a Siemens energy performance contracting agreement were exceeded by a large margin. In the electricity category, savings of 2.2 million kWh were achieved (a reduction of 49 per cent against the original average consumption), while in the thermal energy category, an even more impressive 5.94 million kWh were saved (66 per cent below zero). The CO2 emissions were reduced by 1,747 tonnes (60 per cent below zero) and the energy costs by 229,000 euros (36 per cent below zero).
 
The European Energy Service Award has its origins in the European Energy Service Initiative and focuses on energy services. It honours outstanding efforts and achievements in the field of energy efficiency.

During the selection process, the jury assessed the model character of the project, its contribution to market development, the energy savings achieved, and the potential long-term results.
 
Opened in two phases in 2003 and 2005, the Sello shopping mall has a floor space of 102,000 square metres and houses 170 stores as well as a concert hall and a library. In 2010, the complex was modernised in order to substantially reduce the constantly rising energy consumption while optimising comfort and air quality within the building.
 
Within the scope of an Energy Performance Contracting, the Siemens Building Technologies Division as a project partner implemented a variety of measures which guarantee the savings for the duration of the contract. These measures included installing a Desigo building automation system and special energy savings algorithms from Siemens as well as about 100 control actuators and temperature and CO2 sensors.

Siemens Financial Services pre-financed the required investments through the energy performance contracting agreement. Over the contract term of four years, the investments will be amortised by the savings achieved.
 
For the reduction in energy consumption and CO2 emissions achieved in cooperation with Siemens, the Sello mall received the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification in 2010.  
 
The Desigo Building Automation System and Energy Performance Contracting are part of Siemens’ Environmental Portfolio. In fiscal year 2010, revenue from the portfolio totaled about 28 billion euros, making Siemens the world’s largest supplier of eco-friendly technologies.

In the same period, the group’s products and solutions enabled customers to reduce their CO2 emissions by 270 million tonnes, an amount equal to the total annual CO2 emissions of the mega-cities Hong Kong, London, New York, Tokyo, Delhi and Singapore.