GHG Emissions, Commercial, Solar  -  March 31, 2025

SATO Adds Solar at Housing Properties in Finland

SATO, a housing investment company in Finland, continues its strategy of promoting sustainable living with plans to install solar power plants in 60 company-owned properties, which together house nearly 4,000 homes. The solar panels will be installed in 2025. 

SATO has taken several actions to reduce carbon emissions from its properties. In 2022, emission-free energy accounted for 46% of all energy used by SATO. By 2024, the figure had risen to 73%. This achievement has been made possible through investments in local energy production and improvements in the energy efficiency of properties. In 2024, the company invested approximately €1.8 million in locally produced renewable energy.

"At the end of last year, we had solar power plants in 53 residential buildings. This year, the number will double. The solar panels installed on the rooftops of our properties already produce around 800,000 kWh of renewable energy annually. That’s equivalent to the annual power consumption of roughly 400 apartments," says Arto Aalto, EVP, Investments at SATO, in a statement. "We are currently converting a property with 134 rental homes from district heating to geothermal heating, and we have made investment decisions for 13 other properties. These are currently in the planning and tendering phase. Through these investments, nearly 1,000 new SATOhomes will benefit from zero-emission heating energy," Aalto continues.

In addition to solar power systems, SATO is also investing in geothermal heating, which is already the main source of heat in 26 of the company’s properties, housing over 1,800 homes. By switching to geothermal heat, the company has reduced the energy consumption of its properties by more than 7,000 MWh annually compared to traditional district heating.

Currently, around 5,500 SATO rental homes are located in buildings that utilize locally produced renewable energy for heating and for electricity, e.g., in the lighting and ventilation of shared spaces.

SATO aims to be carbon neutral by the end of 2030 in terms of in-use energy consumption. The measures outlined in the company’s carbon roadmap, published in 2023, are progressing ahead of the original schedule.

In addition to investing in zero-emission energy, SATO also reduces its environmental impact through preventive property maintenance based on lifecycle principles. In every major renovation, SATO aims to improve the building’s energy efficiency by at least 30% to reduce GHG emissions.