Heating, electricity and ventilation 

  

Get an electricity agreement for your home  

Make sure to make an electricity agreement with the service provider of your choice for your home by the moving date. If you move out, remember to end your electricity agreement or transfer it to your new home.   

The lights and other equipment in the common areas of the buildings are powered by real estate electricity procured by Heka. All real estate electricity procured by Heka is produced using renewable energy sources. 

In an increasing number of our properties, part of the property’s electricity is produced by a solar power plant. Some of our properties have a geothermal heat system or a pump using exhaust air. Even in these properties, the residents procure the electricity used in their apartments with their own electricity agreement.  

Distribute your electricity consumption outside the peak consumption hours 

Electricity is used most in the morning from 8 to 10, while in the early evening the peaks are from 4 to 5 and 7 to 8. Distributing the consumption of electricity outside the consumption peaks safeguards the sufficiency of electricity. Try to even out your electricity consumption. Avoid unnecessary electricity consumption during peak consumption hours on weekday mornings and evenings. It is recommended that you use electricity when it is available in abundance and it is inexpensive. 

Distributing your consumption makes sense regardless of whether you have a fixed-price or an exchange-rate electricity contract. Download Fingrid’s Tuntihinta application to your phone and monitor the price of electricity which reacts to the supply and demand of electricity.  

Utilise the timer function and introduce new device operating times to your daily life. For example, postpone the use of your dishwasher and washing machine until early morning, noon or later in the evening. Charge electronic devices outside the peak hours of electricity consumption. Turn off the electrical appliances and unplug the charging cables you are not using. 

Heating

This site explains how the heating systems work in an apartment building, and how you can affect the temperature and indoor conditions of your home through your own actions.

How does the heating of an apartment building work?

Most Heka apartment buildings use a hot water heating system. Heat is supplied to the building by district heating. The heated water flows through pipes to the radiators in each flat, and these radiators then release warmth into the rooms.

Heating is automatically controlled according to the outdoor temperature and, in some properties, the indoor temperature. In colder weather, hotter water flows into the radiators, bringing more heat into the home. The building services and automation system regulate the temperature of the water going to the radiators.

The heating of apartments usually starts around the turn of August and September.

Heating tips for every home

• Do not cover radiators or thermostats: Curtains, furniture or other obstacles can prevent the heat spreading into the room.
• Turn the radiator thermostat from the closed position to the open position: Do this at least a couple of times a year to ensure that the thermostat and valve loosen up and do not get stuck.
• Do not keep windows open or slightly open for long periods: If you need to air out your home, do it efficiently by keeping all the ventilation windows open at the same time for a brief period. You can also close the radiator valves when airing out your home.
• Submit a defect notification if you feel a draught coming from your windows: If the draught appears constant and bothers you, submit a defect notification. A maintenance technician will check the seals and take the necessary measures.

What is the right temperature for your home?

A healthy room temperature is around 18–22 °C. The target temperature in Heka apartments is 21 °C. The temperature can vary depending on the weather and the location of the apartment. For example, on the upper floors, the temperature tends to vary more.

In autumn, humidity makes the air feel colder and you need some time to adjust to cooler indoor air. It is normal to have to wear woollen socks indoors during the heating season.

The Housing Health Decree sets the following temperature limits for the room temperature of apartments:

During the heating season

• Lower limit for indoor air: 18 °C
• Upper limit for indoor air: 26 °C

Outside the heating season:

• Lower limit for indoor air: 18 °C
• Upper limit for indoor air: 32 °C

Measure the temperature yourself: It is helpful to have your own thermometer. Measure the temperature in the middle of the room, in the living space, at a height of about 1.1–1.5 metres. It is natural for the temperature to be lower next to a window or an external wall than in the living space.

How does a radiator work?

• The thermostat of a radiator senses the room temperature and regulates the amount of water going into the radiator.
• When the indoor temperature is low, the thermostat opens a valve that lets hot water into the radiator, thus heating the apartment to the desired temperature.
• In order for the heating system to work correctly, it is important that the radiator valves are working properly.
• For example, if you want your bedroom to be cooler, you can use the thermostat to turn the temperature down.
• In autumn in the beginnin of the heating season, a radiator may heat the room even if it does not feel warm to the touch.
• For example, when the outdoor temperature is 10 °C, the radiators circulate water heated to around 30–35 °C. In such a situation, the radiator will not feel warm to your 37-degree hand. However, it will heat the air in the room.

Suspect a radiator issue?

When the radiator is working properly:

• The radiator is warmer at the top than at the bottom.
• The radiator is the warmest immediately after the thermostat.
• The radiator does not emit any hisses or gurgles.
• A cool radiator does not always mean a defect. You should always check the room temperature first.

If you suspect a defect in the radiator, report it by submitting a defect notification.

• If you hear a hissing or gurgling sound coming from the radiator, there is probably air in there. Submit a defect notification. Do not attempt to radiator bleeding yourself.

Ventilation

The purpose of ventilation is to provide clean air for breathing and remove impurities generated in the building. Living in an apartment inevitably generates impurities and moisture, from the sources of which cannot be removed. Therefore, adequate ventilation is needed. For example, the ventilation system helps keep the concentrations of carbon dioxide and water vapour in the air at a level that is healthy for people and the building. Cleaning your apartment also helps to keep the air clean.

The most common system in Heka buildings is mechanical exhaust ventilation, in which “contaminated” air is removed through an exhaust vent in the kitchen, bathroom and toilet.

Intake air enters the rooms either through vents in the wall or window, or through openings in the window seals. Some buildings have mechanical supply and exhaust ventilation, in which case the apartments also have intake air vents.

Heat pumps may not be installed in Heka apartments.  

Good ventilation keeps the indoor air clean

Ventilation is an important way to keep the indoor air of apartments clean and healthy. The exhaust air contains and thus removes impurities, odours and moisture.

It is therefore very important not to block the air vents or change their settings.

The most common system in Heka buildings is mechanical exhaust ventilation

How to keep the mechanical ventilation working:  

• Always keep the fresh air vents or openings on the window frames or walls open. Even in freezing weather conditions they cannot be closed completely. If the fresh air vents are blocked, the system can suck in replacement air from the drains, for example.  
• Do not change the position of the exhaust air vent. This will interfere with the ventilation.  
• Clean the fresh air vents and openings by vacuuming them with a soft nozzle or brushing them at least twice a year.  
• Dust and grease accumulate in exhaust air vents. Clean the vents with warm water, cleaning agent and a brush at least twice a year. To remove the vent, turn the round frame anticlockwise. Dry the vents before re-installing them.  

• Perform a quick check of the ventilation: Place an A4 piece of paper on the exhaust air vent. If it gets sucked against the vent, air is flowing through the exhaust vent in the correct direction.  

If the building has an apartment-specific air conditioner, Heka will replace the filters as needed about 2–4 times a year.  

Ventilation tips for every home

• Keep the air vents clean. You can wipe them with a damp cloth, for example. However, do not change the vent settings.
• Clean your apartment regularly, as this also affects the indoor air quality.
• If you suspect a defect in the ventilation system, report it by submitting a defect notification.
• If you have an kitchen hood in your kitchen, wash the hood filter regularly.

Does it feel like the ventilation in your apartment is not working correctly?  

Characteristics of a failure of the ventilation system include:  

• Odours and fumes do not leave the apartment within a reasonable period of time.  
• The inside of the windows becomes fogged or frozen even if the windows are closed properly.  
• The bathroom dries slowly after you have used the shower, even if the floor and walls have been dried with a squeegee and the door has been left open.  
• The apartment smells like the staircase even though the doors are closed properly.  

• You can hear the air flowing through the cracks in the door or the letter box.  
• Exhaust air vents hiss in a disruptive manner.  
• The air in the room becomes stale again soon after airing.  

Check that all fresh and exhaust air vents in your apartment are open and clean. If the vents are open and clean and the situation remains unchanged, please submit a defect notification.