Lundbergs Fastigheter invest in innovative technology to meet the climate goals

For Lundbergs Fastigheter does sustainable property development mean to cater today’s needs of energy efficiency and to secure the coming generations’ energy needs. Lundbergs has over time invested in multiple large solar cells installations, and has today installed more than 1 MW in power that is shared between about 10 properties. The goal is to be climate neutral by the year 2030.

Lundbergs Fastigheter was one of the first privately owned property owners that saw the possibilities with the EnergyHub-system from Ferroamp, and has today about 40 installed units. The first EnergyHub-systems were installed in 2016, with the purpose to phase balance the electricity grid in the properties. However, fairly quickly more benefits could be added, such as the phase balancing helped to reduce the size of the service subscription’s main fuse, which has contributed to reduced costs for grid subscriptions for about 15 electricity connection points.

- The calculation of what phase balancing of properties’ electricity grid can give for benefits and added value is quite easy to establish, according to Arvid Nyqvist, Energy Management Officer at Lundbergs Fastigheter.

A great added value is that during the time the EnergyHub measures the power peaks of electricity consumption for each phase in current time, it can also store all of the collected measurement data for analysis in EnergyCloud, where it gets clear how the load is for each phase. This gives a clear ground for energy planning and for data-driven decisions, for example whether the service subscription’s main fuse can be reduced and if so, by how much.

- To measure is to know - an expression that describes the major benefit with EnergyCloud, says Arvid Nyqvist. Having measurement-hubs located in different spots in different buildings makes it possible to secure any changes in electricity and power demand, as well as consumption patterns. The measurement accuracy is very high and any deviations over time can be detected, which makes it possible to discover any energy thieves a lot faster. That has happened in some cases, continues Arvid.

The other added value is the short payoff-time - where the service subscription could be reduced to a smaller size on the head fuse - which amounts to about 2-3 years. Arvid Nyqvist emphasizes that they have yet not used all of the accessible potential within Ferroamp’s technology. The new requirement of energy efficient properties and future battery technology - where battery pools can help the Swedish Kraftnät with frequency regulation and power balancing - results in more savings to be made.

Six new EnergyHub-units were installed in properties in Jönköping, Sweden, during 2020, that also works as the central unit for power and load control of properties charging boxes. In Södertälje does Ferroamp’s technology help with investigation work in properties to see if the grid connection subscriptions need to change, with the intention to accommodate and satisfy future needs of connection of new loads, for example charging posts for electric cars, but also to investigate the effects of other energy-saving measures.

When new technology makes an entrance in the real estate industry’s digitalized world, can historic data in EnergyCloud give the right decision basis for new operating settings or investments in energy saving technology.

- Right now we are working with emission-reducing measures throughout the whole company, says Johan Sanborgh, Sustainability Manager at Lundbergs Fastigheter. Our goal is to be climate neutral throughout the whole value chain by 2030.

In societal development projects, the ambition is usually high and the will for a rapid pace of change in sustainability work is great. There is also a great significance to be able to detect effects quickly, but normally the lead times extend - from a sustainable measure until measurable results can be detected - over multiple years.

This is where Ferroamp believes that their EnergyHub-technology offers a huge benefit, since the effects of the investments become apparent very quickly. Usually the cost for the online subscription is reduced after a couple of months, due to the phase balancing of the property’s electricity grid. From a sustainability perspective this is good news - not only for individual real estate owners or large property companies - but for the greater Swedish society too. It contributes to making more efficient use of existing backbone and distribution grids, which saves money since the investments in new power lines are very expensive.