Kotkan Asunnot pilots smart heating to adjust rental prices

Kotkan Asunnot and DNA Wattinen have launched a pilot program in Kotka, Finland, allowing rental tenants to adjust their apartment temperatures to influence their monthly rent. Starting October 1, residents in nine rental buildings can choose to deviate from the standard 21–22 degree Celsius temperature range.

Under the ‘Toivelämpö’ service, tenants can lower the temperature to 20 degrees Celsius to receive a rent credit or increase it to 23 degrees Celsius for an additional fee. The amount of the credit or surcharge is determined by the size of the apartment; for example, in a studio apartment, the adjustment is nine euros per month in either direction.

The initiative utilizes DNA Wattinen’s smart heating control technology to optimize heating per apartment without requiring major hardware investments. The goal is to treat heating similarly to water consumption, where residents pay for what they use. The pilot aims to measure tenant interest and test the technical precision of the smart control system in adjusting temperatures accurately.