A year ago, we organized an energy-saving campaign for our tenants that involved the different housing locations competing against each other in the art of energy efficient living. In this playful competition, the Ikituuri tenants reduced their electricity consumption the most, and the tenants in Student Village East reduced their water consumption the most.
In reality, however, there were many more winners.
One obvious winner was the environment, of course, because housing and housing-related energy use make up one quarter of Finns’ carbon footprint. Energy saving at home is therefore really important – especially when we are talking about a group of 7,000 tenants. Even the smallest actions can have a surprisingly large impact when everyone pitches in.
Energy saving also has an economic dimension, however. Although electricity, and often also water, are included in the rent in TYS apartments, they are not free by any means.
TYS is a non-profit organization that rents its apartments following the absorption principle of the Housing Finance and Development Centre of Finland (ARA). In short, this means that TYS can collect rent from its tenants only as much as it needs, in addition to other income, to finance its apartments and related premises, as well as to cover the expenses required for good property management.
In 2022, an average of 15 percent of the costs of TYS apartments came from heating, 12 percent from electricity, 6 percent from water and wastewater, and 3 percent from waste management. Abundant energy use and neglectful sorting therefore have their price, and in the long run they can also add to the pressure to increase rents.
In autumn 2023, the TYS board decided that TYS apartments’ rents will not be increased for 2024. Although a great many different factors were considered when weighing the decision, our energy-conscious tenants who conserve energy are also one part of the big picture.
So, let’s make energy saving a permanent part of our everyday life, because everyone benefits from it – from the environment to the tenants.
P.S. Would you like to know how you can save energy in your everyday life? Follow us on Instagram and Facebook! We regularly publish tips that can be used to curb your own energy consumption on our social media channels.
