Energy-saving geothermal heating, in the heart of the city

A geothermal heating solution has been installed right in the heart of Stockholm, on Kungsgatan, at the block of buildings knows as “Kåkenhusen”. The Instalco company, VVS Kraft participated in installation of the solution on behalf of the property owner, Hufvudstaden, in an effort to make the property significantly more sustainable and energy-efficient.

The new geothermal solution is able for both heating and cooling the facilities, along with storing energy, thereby significantly lowering the environmental impact. When Hufvudstaden took its first readings in 2019, they were 40 percent lower compared to the same month in 2018.

“We’ve constructed a new substation with heating pumps at the property and have integrated geothermal heating into the system. We’ve also updated the ventilation system and fan room, along with installing evaporative coolers on the roof. Gradually, the property has been connected with the heat pumps and geothermal heating to make it less dependent on district heating and cooling,” says Johan Höglund, Project Manager at VVS Kraft.

It was a complex installation, where, in a very short period of time, we needed to install large equipment in small spaces, while meeting high requirements on functionality and quality.

Kåkenhusen 40 consists of two buildings that previously each had their own system for cooling and heating. A new, joint power plant was constructed, which made it possible to connect the heating and cooling systems of each building. Although it is situated right in the heart of Stockholm, geothermal heating was the solution chosen in order to have the lowest possible environmental impact.

“This has been a very unique project. Its central location has involved some unique challenges, like working in very small spaces. For example, from one of the basements, we drilled 21 energy wells that are 350 meters deep,” says Niklas Engvall, Project Manager at Hufvudstaden.