What we do to save electricity in our student housing
The energy crisis is unfortunately still a thing. In order to prevent the rent in our student housing from rising more than necessary, we at SSN focus on saving electricity.
SSN already does many things to save electricity in the student accommodation:
From 2016-2020, SSN has built just under 1,000 new homes in solid wood, on five different campuses. These buildings are categorized as passive houses and low-energy housing.
Campus Bø Student housing is an example of a new SSN building constructed in cross laminated wood. This is a passive house with a geo well.
What is passive house?
The reason why it is called a passive house is that passive measures are used to reduce energy demand:
External walls, roof and floor to ground which are extra well insulated.
Extra well insulated windows.
Good tightness and thus very few air leaks.
To achieve good air quality and a good indoor climate in a passive house, you must have a ventilation system with the possibility of heat recovery.
We also use environment-saving energy sources such as district and local heating systems, geowells and heat pumps (in homes built after 2006).
Solar cells on some renovated buildings (in the picture we see solar cells on the roof of Klokkergården in Vestfold). The homes at Rauland, which will be ready in August 2023, will have solar cells on the roofs.
Energy-efficient household appliances.
Measures to reduce water consumption will be initiated in 2023: Dynamic filters and toilets with TwistFlush technology will reduce water consumption.
Recycling rooms/swapping rooms at those of our residential areas that have available space.
Energy-efficient light sources and lighting control.
Environmentally friendly laundry solutions.
– Help us saving energy! ⚡️
That's what SSN's operations manager Robert Strøm says, who with his appropriate surname is the man who keeps track of, among other things, electricity (Strøm in Norwegian means electricity!) and the actual operation of SSN's student housing.
– We are starting new measures in addition to those we already have in place to save electricity in our student housing. But the most important thing is probably what each resident does every day. If everyone adjusts their consumption, stops airing with the heater on max and showers a little shorter every day, we are already on the right track, he says.
He encourages all students to join the competition to come up with the best idea to save electricity in SSN student housing.
The competition runs throughout February 2023 and the best idea wins NOK 10,000!