A Northern Norwegian Guiding Star for Building Energy Optimisation

The Northern Norwegian property company Polaris Eiendom is not sitting on its hands, but is taking an active and leading role in the work of energy-optimising its property portfolio.

‍– Polaris Eiendom is showing the way. They are simply a Northern Norwegian guiding star for building energy optimisation, says founder and CEO of Energy Control, Tommy Hagenes.

The company recently entered into a collaboration with Polaris Eiendom on energy optimisation of the company’s properties. Property Director Ben-Ruben Heimstad leaves no room for doubt when he describes the company’s ambitions.
– We are going to do as much as possible, as quickly and cost-effectively as possible, says Heimstad enthusiastically, adding:
– We have a mixed property portfolio, where some of the buildings are from an older generation. It is incredibly inspiring to see that there is technology and solutions that make it possible to give these buildings a significant sustainability boost, without it costing us a fortune. I therefore feel that the journey we have now embarked upon, together with Energy Control, is absolutely the right path, says Heimstad.

Significant energy potential
Polaris Eiendom was established in the summer of 2022. The company has large plans and the portfolio is continuously expanding, but right now it consists of 29 commercial properties in Tromsø, Bodø and Narvik. The ambition is to be the leading property operator in Northern Norway.
– Sustainability is important to us, and energy optimisation plays a central role here. Several of our properties were built in the 1980s, which automatically means there is significant potential for energy improvements, says Facility Manager at Polaris Eiendom, Martin Johansen.
That is why in autumn 2023 they entered into a collaboration with Energy Control. The first building they tackled was Bryggekvartalet in Tromsø — a building with a broadly mixed tenant base.
– It all began when we brought in Eivind Bengtsson from the company Amtek to develop an overarching building strategy for Bryggekvartalet. This strategy contains several tracks, both short-term and long-term, says Johansen.
– Alongside the longer-term measures for the building, there are a number of short-term measures that can be taken. Among other things, there is a range of low-hanging energy fruit that can be harvested, and that is where Energy Control came in, says Bengtsson.

Immediate effect
The journey began with Energy Control packing a suitcase full of smart IoT sensors and boarding a flight from Bergen to Tromsø. The sensors were strategically placed throughout Bryggekvartalet in Tromsø. Immediately, the sensors began gathering data from both the building’s ventilation units and the indoor climate and temperature in selected areas.
– The data was analysed and it was immediately clear that there were a number of measures we should take that would have an immediate effect, says Johansen.
He is impressed by how significant an impact they have achieved in such a short time for what he describes as a reasonable sum of money.
– We have seen immediate results. In just a few days we have reduced the operating hours of the systems by approximately 10,000 hours. How large the savings will be, I do not yet know, but there is no doubt that they will be significant, says Johansen. This benefits both us and our tenants — us in the form of extended lifespans for technical installations, and our tenants in the form of lower energy consumption. And both are good for the environment!
The positive results have led Polaris Eiendom to roll out the solution in more of their buildings. They are now in four buildings in Tromsø and four in Narvik.
– We are rolling this out in the buildings where we see it makes sense. So far we are up and running in eight buildings, but there are certainly more to come, says Johansen.

Hagenes at Energy Control is impressed by the decisiveness of the Northern Norwegian property company.

– We work with this daily and are used to such processes taking some time. Polaris Eiendom has embraced the possibilities of technology. What they have achieved in a short time is impressive, says Hagenes.

The energy crisis has reached Northern Norway‍

While those of us in the south have been struggling with high electricity prices for several years, Northern Norway has been shielded from this. However, that has now changed and the energy crisis has also reached our northernmost region.

– Electricity prices in Northern Norway are already higher than we have been used to, and the signals are that it will not get any cheaper. This is not the primary driver for us taking action on our property portfolio now, but there is no doubt it is an important incentive, says Johansen.

Heimstad explains that for their part, it is primarily about using resources correctly, while also contributing to reduced costs for their tenants.

– Clean energy is no longer something we have in surplus. We therefore need to use energy more wisely, and looking at measures that reduce consumption in our buildings is of course an important step, says Heimstad.

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