Ülemiste City plans to invest more than €10 million in energy-efficient solutions by 2027, the largest of which involves connecting nine business buildings in the campus to a modern district energy system.

Ülemiste City began transitioning to district heating and cooling in 2022, and by 2027 nine office buildings located on the campus—covering a total area of 100,000 m²—are expected to be connected to the modern district energy solution. This autumn, a district heating and cooling system will be completed for the three-tower complex at Lõõtsa 8a.

“Ending gas heating directly reduces carbon dioxide emissions, district cooling frees up electrical capacity on the campus, and lower electricity consumption improves the energy efficiency of buildings,” says Sten Pärnits, Chairman of the Management Board of Mainor Ülemiste, the developer of Ülemiste City. “The investment helps make energy use more reliable and predictable for tenants while significantly reducing ancillary costs. In this way, we provide our tenants with a more sustainable and future-proof business environment. In addition, rooftop space is freed up, which can be used, for example, for installing additional solar panels.”

According to Pärnits, the costs of technical maintenance of the buildings will also decrease, and in the future there will be no need to renovate or replace heating and cooling equipment. “The fire risk associated with gas equipment is also eliminated. By removing noisy equipment from rooftops and technical rooms, the level of noise and vibration in the surrounding environment will also decrease,” he explains, describing the benefits accompanying one of the largest systematic transitions to modern district energy solutions in Estonia’s commercial real estate sector.

Robert Kitt, Head of Utilitas’ District Heating Companies, notes that Utilitas’ district heating and cooling journey to the Ülemiste area began years ago. “In 2021, we built 1.3 km of both district cooling and heating pipelines in the campus area to enable Ülemiste City buildings to switch to district energy. It is encouraging to see that several buildings in Ülemiste City have already transitioned or are planning to transition to a modern and future-proof district energy solution. District energy provides buildings with stable, environmentally friendly, and reliable heating and cooling while allowing them to move away from fossil fuels.”

In parallel with the transition to district energy, Ülemiste City will double the capacity of its solar park and electric vehicle charging infrastructure and add battery storage systems. In cooperation with the technology company R8 Technologies, the entire campus’s technical systems are being managed to optimize energy efficiency and indoor climate.

According to Mati Freiberg, Head of Sustainability at Mainor Ülemiste, Ülemiste City is being developed based on sustainable principles. “District heating and cooling, solar energy, battery storage, and smart building management form a holistic system that supports Ülemiste City’s green city goals. Every building that connects to efficient district heating reduces our energy-related footprint and fossil fuel consumption. In addition, operating costs for companies on the campus are reduced,” he says.

In addition to the Nurkse building and those that have already joined in recent years (the Tominga, Taba, and von Baer buildings), the Zapp, Öpik 1 and 2, Masing, and Tulving buildings will transition to district heating and cooling next year.