In the 1970s and 1980s, the prevailing housing trend in Finland, particularly in smaller towns, was the construction of row houses . These residences typically followed a similar blueprint, featuring a wooden frame, relatively thin insulation (up to 150 mm), and direct electric heating. Nowadays, as younger generations desires towards newer apartments in larger cities, selling these older properties has become a challenging endeavor. The primary hurdles lie in their low energy efficiency ratings, often falling within the G or F category, and the difficulty in retrofitting the heating systems to meet the mandatory upgrade to energy class E.
From an engineering and environmental standpoint, simply focusing on augmenting insulation or upgrading windows may not yield the most effective results. Instead, the emphasis should be on reducing price of energy and its subsequent environmental impact. A promising approach to achieve these objectives involves the integration of a thermal energy storage system within the apartment. This setup allows residents to utilize cost-effective off-peak energy also during expensive peak hours. Moreover, sustainable or nuclear energy sources come at a fraction of the cost compared to peak-hour energy rates. Additionally, carbon dioxide emissions are drastically reduced, accounting for less than 10% of those generated by combustion-based power generation, even when utilizing wood as a suitable raw material for long-term products.
Finnshield stands as an exemplar of these forward-thinking solutions.