Local energy production in action: Igelbodaplatån
How a Swedish housing cooperative turned apartments into energy-saving hubs.
In Saltsjöbaden, just outside Stockholm the housing cooperative Igelbodaplatån has significantly reduced its energy consumption. This accomplishment results from implementing geothermal heating systems, installing solar panels and upgrading the windows. These measures have not only earned the cooperative an energy class C rating but also substantially lowered energy expenses for its tenants. Impressively, Igelbodaplatån ranked as Sweden's 52nd-largest solar energy producer in 2021 and produces up to 500,000-540,000 kWh per year. Discover how local energy production can bring about wide-ranging benefits.
Igelbodaplatån – A housing cooperative owning energy
Igelbodaplatån is one of about 26,000 housing cooperatives in Sweden. It is a large housing cooperative with about 405 apartments, mostly consisting of 3-5 bedrooms. The association Brf Igelbodaplatån is based on tenant ownership and is located in Saltsjöbaden in Nacka municipality, a suburb east of Stockholm. It is a socio-economic strong neighbourhood where most of the tenants have a strong social capital.
Energy transition combined with regular maintenance of the properties
The buildings were constructed in the late 1960s, and since then regular maintenance has taken place. In the latter years several individual maintenance projects have increased the energy effiency and decreased the energy consumption of the association.
Over the past decade, the housing cooperative has implemented various energy projects, including green retrofitting projects such as improved thermal insulation through window replacements. Additionally, the installation of downhole heat exchangers (sv: bergvärme), a form of geothermal heating, has significantly impacted the buildings' heating systems, replacing the previous oil boiler.
These measures have collectively improved the buildings' energy classification to energy class C, with energy consumption below 50 kWh/sqm per year. The proactive approach of installing electric vehicle charging stations in the underground garage and preparing for future installations exemplifies the housing cooperative's commitment to meeting future demands.
Local ownership model via in-direct ownership of housing
The local ownership model of the association is included in the way the tenants own their house. Housing cooperatives are an example of indirect ownership of housing, owners control their dwelling, and the shared spaces are managed collectively. The collectively owned spaces are usually managed by a board with decision power over the property.
For Igelbodaplatån this means that the maintenance projects with energy focus has all been initiated by committed individuals within and around the board (with approval from a majority of the members at the housing cooperative's annual meeting). It has therefore not been needed to form a specific association for the energy projects.
The energy projects carried out by Igelbodaplatån differ in both how they have been organized and how member involvement has taken place. There is an indirect participation of all members by definition, a person who sells their apartment and moves out loses their participation and co-ownership in the energy projects, just as a person who moves in automatically gains participation in the energy projects whether they want to or not.
Most of the association's energy projects have been decided upon at the annual general meeting, where all members have had the opportunity to propose alternative decisions. However, for Igelbodaplatån, the annual general meeting usually follows the board's proposals. There has been good financial reasons for the proposals. An informant acknowledges that to generate engagement and acceptance in a large association, one must explain and demonstrate that it will be profitable in the long run. If you have individuals who calculate and show that this won't be very costly or that not making the investment will cost more for the association, then you will gain support.
Motivations: reduce costs and contribute to comfortable living
Economic incentives are considered as the main motivation for the energy projects in the housing cooperation Igelbodaplatån. The focus has been to reduce operational costs, such as energy bills (through energy production using solar panels), heating costs (through window replacements and transitioning from an oil boiler to geothermal heating), and anticipating future demand (by preparing for additional installations of electric vehicle charging stations alongside the existing ones).
Other motivations are mentioned, including contributing to decreasing climate impacts by energy transitions away from fossil fuels, increasing engagement in the common work of the property, increasing self-sufficiency and contributing to grid balance.
The main focus for the members and residents of the association is to maintain a living environment that is both secure and comfortable, alongside a housing cooperative that administers its finances with efficiency.
Scaling up potential
Although energy installations within housing cooperatives is not necessary contributing to energy production in a larger system scale, there is still an up-scaling potential for increased energy effiency and decreased energy consumption via the work in housing cooperatives. Also, with the fact that 20 % of the Swedish population are living in housing cooperatives in mind, it is still a substantial part of Sweden’s inhabitants’ energy use that could be impacted if the work within Igelbodaplatån can inspire others.
Advice to others
One challenge in promoting local ownership via housing cooperatives is to ensure maintenance in the long term. As residents in Igelbodaplatån may move out and new ones in, it is important to have processes in place to maintain local ownership and engagement in the future. To ensure stability over time, it is important to document processes, seek advice from other housing associations, energy consultancies, and advisors, and hire external project managers for the execution and installation of projects.
