In spring 2022, Hollola’s decision-makers had to face some cold facts. It was only five years since the Finnish municipality’s new emergency services station had been completed, and now the compressors in both of the station’s ground source heat pumps had broken down. To make things worse, the warranty period had just expired.
“When we started investigating the problem, it was revealed that the compressors in the heat pumps represented new, experimental technology that promised much but delivered little in practice. We weren’t alone with this problem, and there weren’t any spare parts available for the equipment any longer. As the manufacturer couldn’t come up with a satisfactory solution for the problem, we were forced to start tendering for new ground source heat pumps,” says Arto Nuuttila, the property manager for Hollolan Tilapalvelut Oy.
Oilon’s ground source heat pumps came out as the winner of the tendering process. The heat pumps stood out not only due to their competitive pricing but also their reliable and well-established technology as well as the excellent reputation of HC-Systems Oy, the company responsible for system installation. What finally decided the matter was that the products were already at hand, as the heat pump sector continues to be plagued by component shortages due to high demand and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We could thank our lucky stars with this delivery. We had a couple of Oilon RE84 heat pumps in stock, and they fit the project perfectly. As the project involved an important public utility, we were prepared to stretch our resources and reserve the products for Hollola, even when the municipal decision-making process did take some time,” says Oilon’s Sales Manager Simo Ruusunen.
“The installation project comprised removing the old equipment and installing new heat pumps. When we started investigating the site, we noticed that there were problems with the original installation. These were fixed when we installed the new products. We optimized the system by adjusting flow rates and through similar means. This project is a good example of our operating philosophy: instead of adopting a narrow-minded approach and doing just what was ordered from us, we focus on ensuring the reliability and energy-efficiency of the entire system,” says Henri Rämänen, the CEO of HC-Systems.
The end result is a system that provides the emergency services station with heating and cooling exactly as it was originally intended to. There is plenty of hot water available, and the feedback from end users has been positive.
“I’m more than happy with how the project was handled. We were in a tough spot, and both Oilon and HC-Systems were prepared to be flexible and, at the same time, provide excellent customer service. Another thing we like about the new units is that they could be integrated into our building management system. For us, it is important that we can monitor system operation remotely,” Nuuttila says.
“HC-Systems installed two 84-kW Oilon RE84 ground source heat pumps. This is a reliable and popular solution for energy-efficient heating and cooling in medium-sized and large buildings. Up to 16 Oilon RE units can be joined together for a maximum total capacity of 768 kW. An RE84 heat pump has two compressors, providing an excellent capacity range and fault tolerance. The advanced Economizer EVI function provides outstanding performance for our RE ground source heat pumps. This means more heating and hot water for the end user with top-rated COP,” Ruusunen says.
Learn more about Oilon heat pumps here.