Energy · Måndag 23 mars, 2026

Akademiska Hus has halved the amount of energy delivered

After 25 years of dedicated work, Akademiska Hus has reached its long-term energy goal. The energy supplied to the company's properties has decreased by 48.5 per cent compared with 2000. The result is the effect of over 8,000 implemented measures in premises across the country – and close collaboration with the country's higher education institutions.

The goal was set in the early 2000s with the aim that the company would achieve a halving of the amount of energy delivered by 2025. The energy supplied includes energy to heat, cool, ventilate and power the buildings. Akademiska Hus chose early on to also include the tenants' operational energy in the goal. This means that efficiency improvements are not only about technical installations and solutions, but also about how the premises are used. Collaboration with customers – the country's universities and colleges – has therefore been crucial to achieving the result.

"This is an acknowledgment of what perseverance, technical development and collaboration can achieve over time. As one of Sweden's largest real estate companies, we have both the opportunity and the responsibility to drive development forward towards more resource-efficient and sustainable campuses," says Christian Jönsson, Director of Real Estate and Technology & Service at Akademiska Hus.

8,000 measures – and 10 million MWh of savings

Since 2000, Akademiska Hus has implemented over 8,000 energy-saving measures. This includes everything from investments in geoenergy and heat pumps to ongoing optimisation of heating, cooling and ventilation systems as well as improved control and follow-up. If energy consumption per square metre had remained unchanged since 2000, the difference today would correspond to about 10 million MWh.

"Akademiska Hus has had one of the industry's most aggressive and long-term energy goals. The fact that they have now reached the finish line shows that it is not only possible to set the bar high – it is also possible to reach all the way. It is an important message to the entire real estate industry and something that can inspire more real estate companies to raise their ambitions. says Per-Erik Nilsson, senior advisor at CIT Renergy and coordinator of BELOK, the Swedish Energy Agency's network for energy-efficient premises.

New target: an additional 10 percent less purchased energy by 2030

From 2026, a new energy target applies to Akademiska Hus: to reduce the amount of energy supplied by a further 10 per cent by 2030. The focus is on continued efficiency, optimisation and development of flexible energy systems that can be controlled based on climate impact and power needs. Akademiska Hus already has a climate target of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, which has been verified by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) Net-Zero Standard. The climate goal is in line with the Paris Agreement and what research requires to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees.

In addition to reducing the amount of energy supplied, Akademiska Hus works to promote the use of energy with a low climate impact through the installation of facilities for local renewable energy. The company is currently one of the real estate companies in the country with the most solar cell installations. Another important part of the work consists of influencing the energy industry, not least the district heating companies, by actively requesting a supply of heating and cooling with as low climate impact as possible and even negative emissions where available.