ÖrebroBostäder

A Research Project Became Algeno

The collaboration between ÖrebroBostäder and Algeno’s founders began as early as 2016, when the company approached a research group at the Fraunhofer-Chalmers Centre.

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“It turned into an incredibly productive collaboration, where we’ve learned a lot and the researchers have had a unique opportunity to apply their work in a real-world setting. I’m glad the researchers weren’t typically involved in real estate, because they came in with a fresh perspective. I wanted to create buildings that adjust themselves automatically,” says Jonas Tannerstad.

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The research project led the research group—which has deep expertise in mathematical modeling, optimization, and artificial intelligence—to realize that they could make it profitable for more people to reduce the climate footprint of buildings while simultaneously saving on energy costs. Thus, Algeno was launched.

Benefits for Tenants

Algeno’s service and interface for heating control in the buildings, which enables ÖrebroBostäder to optimize operations on its own terms, has also benefited the tenants.

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Since the service predicts temperatures, weather changes, and how individual properties behave under different conditions, tenants enjoy a more consistent indoor climate.

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“This is perhaps what has surprised me the most. I had expected lower operating costs, but I didn’t think the algorithm would be so incredibly good at maintaining a consistent climate in the apartments,” says Jonas Tannerstad.

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The Importance of Open APIs

Something that was very important to ÖrebroBostäder in the digitization of the sub-centers was that the infrastructure has open systems. Jonas Tannerstad believes this is a key issue as they now launch projects to make the same digital transition for ventilation.

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“The issue of open APIs and our suppliers’ willingness to share data is absolutely crucial. That’s what will separate the wheat from the chaff. We’ll only select suppliers based on the capabilities they can deliver and how open they are about how they transmit data.”

“So far, the first 30 substations that have been connected have shown savings of between 8 and 18 percent. That adds up to many millions of kronor and significant climate benefits. I don’t know of any single initiative that has yielded so much in relation to the investment,” says Jonas Tannerstad, Head of Electricity and Automation at ÖrebroBostäder.

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The housing company ÖrebroBostäder spends approximately 180 to 200 million kronor per year on district heating. When such a major player reduces its need for district heating, it also has a direct and corresponding impact on reducing the carbon footprint.

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“It’s also linked to property value, which makes it easier for us to secure loans. So we’re really winning on multiple fronts at once. In our industry, decisions are often made based on a quagmire of generalizations, but thanks to this service, we’re now making data-driven decisions where we’re confident about the reality of the situation and can measure the effects of our efforts.”

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Customer service notices the benefits

Satisfied tenants play a major role for the entire ÖrebroBostäder organization.

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“Maintaining a consistent indoor climate is a key part of the customer experience.” We are required to maintain a temperature of 21 degrees, plus or minus half a degree, in our apartments, and tenants have the right to demand this of us. So it’s an important issue for us,” says Andreas Hammarbäck, Head of the Customer Center.

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“Since the various sensors are also connected to our Smart-web platform, we can also verify that we’re maintaining a consistent temperature of 21 degrees. This means tenants who contact us get a quick response.

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The digital interface leads to savings, since the Customer Center no longer has to submit fault reports to property managers or repair technicians, who don’t need to go out to perform inspections.