Wave Solution Changes the Perspective—Property Productivity Up, Emissions Down

“We set ourselves a nearly impossible target—to achieve a 70% reduction in purchased energy. Could we build a system that utilizes every purchased energy unit up to five times? And could we simultaneously reduce the carbon footprint and increase the productivity of the building? A lot of sweat was broken while we pondered these questions, but it was worth it. Finally, Wave is here”, says Chiller's CEO Joonas Lius. 

The challenges of climate change are well-known, and the built environment is a very large source of carbon emissions. The energy consumption of building services accounts for the vast majority of these emissions. 

“A single office building might require over 100 hectares of forest to offset the emissions from its annual energy consumption. That makes no sense. We should respect our valuable carbon sinks much more”, says Koja’s CTO Taneli Timlin. 

We urgently need better ways to significantly improve both the productivity as well as the energy efficiency of real estates and the construction industry—and they must happen simultaneously. 

“Most of the cost and environmental impacts from buildings arise from operational energy consumption, while user comfort is vital for a profitable rental yield. Compared to the total cost of a construction project, an additional investment of just a few percentage points can significantly reduce annual operational costs and emissions, while improving user comfort”, says Timlin.

What is the Wave Solution?

Emissions can be reduced by using cleaner energy and by decreasing consumption. Wave focuses on reducing consumption, but without compromising on premium quality indoor air. 

“Wave provides high-quality conditions within the building and reduces the need for purchased energy by up to 70%—a massive decrease. Wave consists of three main components: Selector, System, and Evidencer”, Lius summarizes.

Wave Selector is a platform for defining the desired target levels of energy efficiency and indoor air quality. It also defines the technical Wave System according to the target levels. Lastly, Wave Evidencer monitors the operation and ensures that the promised target levels are achieved. 

“Simply put, Wave's energy savings are based on storing and recycling of the purchased energy units as many times as possible within the building's internal energy system”, Timlin explains.

The exceptionally high energy efficiency achieved with Wave is the result of innovative Finnish engineering—a system consisting of an energy station at the core, dynamic ventilation that responds to changes in room occupancy levels, and environmental data collected from room-specific devices. Together, they ensure constantly comfortable conditions. Wave Solution is already being run at Koja’s new factory in Jalasjärvi.

"Based on the data, it seems we are exceeding our target levels and achieving almost 80% savings in purchased energy consumption. All while we’ve been able to significantly improve indoor air quality by cooling down production areas and utilizing the heat energy recovered”, Timlin says. 

A Change in Perspective

The energy industry is doing its utmost to transition past fossil energy. The use of biomass as fuel has more than doubled in just over ten years. The average annual need for coal in Finland fits in 140 bulk carrier ships. Transporting the equivalent energy content to power plants would require over 100,000 trucks. Meanwhile, our carbon sinks have dwindled down to almost nothing. The challenge is massive. 

“Energy that’s never used is energy that doesn’t need to be produced at all—and that’s why we should focus on energy intensity, i.e. how much purchased energy is needed to produce the indoor conditions of a building”, Timlin explains.

Property owners have high level targets to achieve more responsible and sustainable future. Achieving these goals on a large scale requires widely scalable, simple yet effective solutions for both new and existing buildings. Its time to go from setting targets to actual implementation. It’s time to change the perspective. 

“Instead of ‘Show me The Money’, we now say ‘Show me The Green’”, concludes Joonas Lius. 

Learn more about Wave

For more information:

Joonas Lius, CEO, Chiller Oy & Business Director, Koja Oy, Buildings
Tel. +358 50 545 4969, joonas.lius@chiller.fi

Taneli Timlin, CTO, Koja Oy, Buildings 
Tel. +358 50 379 6422, taneli.timlin@koja.fi

Read about Wave Solution at Koja’s new factory in Jalasjärvi

*****

Both KOJA and CHILLER belong to KOJA GROUP. Together they form the company’s Buildings business area. Our long experience and expertise in ventilation, cooling, and heating solutions ensure optimal conditions and clean, healthy indoor air for buildings. 

KOJA GROUP operates with the values and responsibility of a family-owned company, offering its customers intelligent and energy-efficient air handling solutions for buildings and ships, as well as fan solutions for industry. We produce innovative technological solutions efficiently and safely, with the goal of helping our customers achieve their own energy and environmental targets. In addition to the parent company Koja-Yhtiöt Oy, the nearly 90-year-old group now includes Koja Oy and Chiller Oy, along with their subsidiaries and operations in Finland, Sweden, and the USA. Koja Group’s turnover is approximately 130 million euros, and it employs nearly 500 people.