Energy Efficiency and Control of Electricity and Heating
Organisation
ÅhusGården was established to provide a meeting place for children and young people. Located by the sea and surrounded by the beautiful Kronoskogen forest, ÅhusGården offers an ideal setting for both outdoor activities and relaxation in nature. Founded in the mid-1900s, the facility has gradually expanded to include accommodations, dining, conference spaces, and areas for activities. Today, ÅhusGården consists of a main building (with a reception, common room, offices, kitchen, and dining hall), three accommodation buildings, five small cabins, two detached houses, and five parking spaces for RVs and caravans.
The majority of ÅhusGården’s guests are larger groups, including children, teenagers, and senior citizens. The site frequently hosts sports teams, confirmation camps, gatherings for interest organizations, and meetings for local senior associations. While ÅhusGården is often fully booked during the summer, there are also activities throughout the year, both in weekends and weekdays in the off-season.
ÅhusGården is run as a non-profit association, founded by the EFS Missionary Society, which maintains a close collaboration with the Church of Sweden.
Task overview
The first part of the main building was constructed in 1961, and the farm has been expanded gradually over the years, with the most recent addition being one of the detached houses in 2015. The heating systems in the buildings vary and come from multiple sources, including air-to-air heat pumps, direct electric heating, and geothermal heat. To meet peak demands during the coldest days, they also have an oil boiler, which they aim to use as little as possible. The heating needs depend on the level of activity at ÅhusGården. During the off-season, typically only the main building needs to be heated during the week, while the accommodation buildings, either in whole or in part, only need heating during weekends when they have camp guests. To avoid wasting energy, the staff manually switches off and adjusts the heating based on current needs.
ÅhusGården also takes measures to reduce energy consumption from lighting. They have partially replaced fixtures with LED lights and have long used motion sensors to regulate lighting in the restrooms of the main building. However, they want to do more to create a better energy system, both to reduce energy use and to make it easier for the staff to manage.
This project aims to assess the current energy situation and conditions at ÅhusGården, and to provide practical tips on how they can work with energy efficiency, lighting systems, and the control of electricity and heating.
Related sustainability goals