Jounin Kauppa has been granted the Renewable Energy Production of the Year 2011 award. The award was presented by Esa Härmälä, Director-General of the Energy Department at the Ministry of Employment and the Economy.

Motiva’s Renewable Energy Production of the Year awards were being presented for the second time. Jounin Kauppa, in Äkäslompolo, won the “Users of Renewable Energy” category, while Mikkeli-based Savosolar received the award in the “Business Activities in Renewable Energy and Contributions to Renewable Energy” category.

Jounin Kauppa made forward-looking investments and cut its energy costs at the same time

Äkäslompolo-based Jounin Kauppa is Lapland’s biggest village store. One of Finland’s most advanced heating and cooling systems was installed in the store, which is almost 6,000 square metres in size and was completed in 2008. The heating and cooling system exploits renewable energy sources and condensate heat released from cooling units. The shop also has an energy-efficient cooling system that uses carbon dioxide as its refrigerant.

The starting point for the design was the wish to reduce emissions that induce climate change and to reduce the ever-growing energy costs. Heating and cooling energy is taken from the ground and the air as well as from the condensate heat from the store’s cooling units.

The award panel commends the impressive quality of these solutions and the fact that they can be duplicated elsewhere. As the concept becomes more widespread, energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions can be significantly reduced. The solutions are also innovative. The system combines energy efficiency and renewable energy use in a sensible way. The investment is also so significant that it gives an indication of the business’s strong commitment. This is also shown by the enthusiasm of retailer Sampo Kaulanen.

“The starting point for investment was my own interest in using renewable energy. If we could get more businesses involved in these renewable energy solutions, everyone would benefit. It would create new jobs, reduce the price of energy, and, most important of all, the natural environment would be conserved,” says Kaulanen, summing up his own views on renewable energy.

The designer of the energy system, Väinö Jaako, is satisfied with the end result. The investment will pay for itself more quickly than originally calculated. This is also bound to encourage others to make similar investments.

Further information:
Sampo Kaulanen, Managing Director at Jounin Kauppa, Finland
tel: +358 44 3160 579, e-mail: sampo.kaulanen@gmail.com