HINKUmappi online service collects and distributes information on climate-friendly action to reduce costs and emissions

The Finnish Environment Institute SYKE has opened a new web service, HINKUmappi, as a showcase for climate-friendly action. The online service provides citizens, businesses, organisations and experts with a channel for sharing and acquiring information on a variety of climate-related topics, including the energy efficiency of buildings, and renewable energy solutions. The service already includes 142 implemented measures. Many of these projects have not only reduced energy consumption, but resulted in considerable financial savings for the party implementing them.

‘The HINKUmappi online service provides information on practical solutions, users’ experiences, profitability, costs and climate impacts. It meets increasing demand for concrete information on measures related to energy efficiency or decentralised energy production. In future, the system will also serve as a tool for monitoring changes in overall emissions by the forerunner municipalities participating in the Carbon Neutral Municipalities (HINKU) project’, comments Professor Jyri Seppälä of the Finnish Environment Institute.

The service is implemented in cooperation with users, i.e. private persons, businesses, communities and expert organisations. Anyone can add information on climate-friendly action and energy projects to the online service. Likewise, anyone can browse and share cases added by others, for instance through social media forums.For example, as a basis for decision-making, homeowners and terraced house residents can find information on renovations to enhance the energy efficiency of oil-heated detached houses, power production based on wind power plants and solar panels, or building a passive house. Parties implementing such projects can be contacted if they have chosen to provide contact information.

Showcase for forerunners

The HINKUmappi online service was developed as part of the Carbon Neutral Municipalities (HINKU) project, bringing municipalities, businesses and citizens together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Municipalities participating in the project include Kuhmoinen, Mynämäki, Padasjoki, Parikkala and Uusikaupunki. They have committed to an 80 per cent emission reduction by 2030, from the level of 2007. In addition, Asikkala, Ii, Laitila, Masku, Nousiainen and Rautjärvi have joined the project as partners. They are preparing to set emission reduction targets.

By the end of the year, the intention is to collect all measures implemented by HINKU municipalities since 2007 into the HINKUmappi online service. So far, the HINKU municipalities have completed hundreds of measures to curb climate change. The city of Uusikaupunki has made particularly rapid progress.The online service already includes measures taken by other municipalities, particularly in the Vaasa and Oulu regions. The related information was collected by the Forerunners as promoters of best eco practices project of the Finnish Environment Institute and Sitra, charting some 240 forerunners in curbing climate change.

The online service is open to all users, regardless of the municipality in which the project was implemented.So far, information has been collected not only by the Finnish Environment Institute and Sitra but also by Thule Institute of the University of Oulu, Levón Institute of the University of Vaasa, Benet Oy and several private persons, municipalities and businesses. Project partners include also the Finnish Meteorological Institute, the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, Motiva, Union of the Baltic Cities Commission on Environment, the Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK) and the Department of Surveying of the Aalto University.

Examples of projects included in HINKUmappi online service

Uusikaupunki

A five-apartment terraced house was planned, with a special focus on energy efficiency. Each apartment has a chimney accumulator installed in a heat accumulating fireplace, solar cells on the roof and passive ground heat, using pre-heating in the ventilation system. All of this will cost around 8,000 euros more than traditional solutions, with the savings amounting to some 2,000 euros per year. Annual emissions will be 25 tonnes lower than those of standard solutions. Further information in Finnish 

Mynämäki

The Keskitalo Garden replaced heavy oil with wood chips, saving some 2,000 tonnes in emissions every year. In addition, LED lighting is being tested in order to replace high pressure sodium lamps. It is estimated that transfer from oil to wood chips will pay itself back in five years. Further information in Finnish 

Padasjoki

Almost all municipal properties implemented a number of water-saving measures. The total cost of these measures amounted to €15,000, and the project will pay itself back in under two years’ time. Costs have been monitored for over a year now and the average savings come to 30 per cent, with around 17 tonnes cut from emissions. Further information information in Finnish 

Parikkala

The old oil-fuelled boiler of the Tarnala village school was replaced with a wood-chip fuelled heating system. Annual savings total around €9,000 and emissions have been reduced by 41 tonnes. Further information in Finnish 

HINKU and forerunners online

• HINKUMappi webservice www.ymparisto.fi/hinkumappi
• Carbon Neutral Municipalities (HINKU) project www.environment.fi/hinku
• Forerunners as promoters of best eco practices project www.ymparisto.fi/edellakavijat

Further information

Professor Jyri Seppälä, Finnish Environment Institute, tel. +358 40 740 1708, firstname.lastname@ymparisto.fi

Engineer Pasi Tainio, Finnish Environment Institute, tel. +358 40 350 7361, firstname.lastname@ymparisto.fi

Senior Lead of Eco-Efficiency Karoliina Auvinen, Sitra, tel. +358 50 330 5148, firstname.lastname@sitra.fi