Sello property and sustainable development

SELLO IS EUROPE’S MOST ECOLOGICAL SHOPPING CENTRE

The Sello Shopping Centre has been EB LEED certified at the Platinum level for ecologically sustainable operations in 2020 and 2015, as well as EB LEED certified at the Gold level in 2011. Sello is the first shopping centre in Europe to receive a LEED Platinum rating during operations. Platinum is the highest LEED level.

The Kiinteistö Oy Sello property company and Siemens have together built a smart energy system shopping centre.

The Sello Shopping Centre was the first significant property to participate in the Finnish electricity production reserve market offered by Fingrid. The systems and solar panels installed mean that we are involved in equalizing electricity production and consumption on the overall market. Our property is equipped with the largest battery bank in northern Europe, which enables energy storage and smart energy consumption.

In addition, we participate in equalization of the Fortum district heat market through flexible consumption, in which smart heat direction can be used to significantly reduce emissions. This decision means that the start-up of the Vermo high-performance heat plant nearby can be avoided during peak demand.
The shopping centre uses Fortum Ekoplus heat, which is generated with 100% renewable fuels and waste heat.

Sello has achieved excellent results in a comparison of buildings’ technological capabilities for smart energy control and consumption. In the testing method approved by the European Commission, Sello achieved a result of 92% and thus beat other evaluated properties by a wide margin. For over a decade, the shopping centre has worked systematically with Siemens on sustainable development.

Sello was one of the sites evaluated as part of a study conducted by Aalto University which investigated the application of the EU’s Smart Readiness Indicator (SSRI) in Finnish buildings. The Smart Readiness Indicator shows how ready a building’s automation and information systems are, now and in the future, for the building’s energy consumption, local energy systems and user satisfaction.

The SRI frame of reference examines ten technical building systems. They are: heating, domestic hot water, cooling, ventilation, lighting, dynamic building envelope, power demand equalization, renewable energy generation, electric vehicle charging, and monitoring and adjustment. For each category, a list of services is named through which the smart readiness indicator is evaluated.

Smart technology on the property is a cost-effective way of creating healthier and user-friendlier buildings which consume less energy and ease the integration of renewable energy sources into the energy systems of the future.

Sello has run on electricity generated from renewable energy since 2010. At the start of 2019, Sello signed an agreement on procuring district heat generated from renewable energy. From this year, all the energy we consume is generated with 100% renewable energy.

The Sello Shopping Centre’s carbon footprint in 2022 was 4,938 tonnes of carbon dioxide. The outstanding emissions are compensated by buying certified carbon credits (a Gold Standard project in Uganda offered by Nordic Offset). Significant emission reduction steps taken:

• Green electricity used since 2010
• In-house generation of solar energy began in 2018 (met 2.4% of total consumption needs in 2020)
• District heat generated from renewable fuels and waste heat launched in 2019
• Carbon-neutral waste disposal since 2017

The Sello carbon footprint has been calculated in line with the international GHG Protocol. The sustainable consultancy firm Gaia Consulting performed the calculation.