Nuuka’s Solutions Awarded in Innovation Competition

Nuuka’s Solutions Awarded in Innovation Competition

Nuuka Solutions has been awarded in the ERKKI project’s innovation competition for its solution,
“Nuuka AI: Artificial Intelligence as a New User for Building Technology.” The competition aimed
to develop innovative solutions to improve the energy efficiency of public cultural and leisure
properties and to simplify their maintenance. Nuuka Solutions’ AI-based solution leverages new
data sources, such as weather conditions and space usage, to enhance building conditions, reduce
energy consumption, and facilitate property operations.

Mikko Maja, CTO of Nuuka Solutions, commented on the award:

“It’s great to receive recognition for our innovative work. This award demonstrates that AI-based
solutions can significantly improve the energy efficiency and maintenance of public properties.
Thanks to everyone involved—this motivates us to accelerate our development efforts even further.”

The ERKKI project’s goal is to improve the energy efficiency of challenging public properties. This
is achieved through co-developing solutions and enhancing collaboration between the city and
solution-providing companies. The innovation competition held in autumn 2024 explored solutions
from companies in the field and considered how to further develop them, especially for challenging
properties. Based on the competition’s outcomes, the project’s steering group selected three award-
winning solutions, with Nuuka Solutions being one of them.

In planning the competition, the project team assessed the current state and needs of the target
properties. Last autumn, Forum Virium Helsinki conducted site visits to Helsinki city properties and
involved city experts in defining the competition’s themes and challenges.

Based on this work, three current main themes were established to guide companies in developing
energy efficiency-enhancing solutions for the competition:

Smart Control of Properties and Utilizing New Data Sources

This theme explored solutions that make versatile use of new data sources for smarter and
more flexible property management. Data sources include weather conditions, space usage,
and visitor numbers. The goal is to improve indoor conditions, reduce energy consumption,
and simplify property operations, even under extreme weather conditions.

From Reactive to Proactive Property Maintenance

This theme focused on solutions that shift property maintenance from reactive to proactive.
This includes improving the performance of building systems, identifying disruptions, and
more precisely targeting maintenance actions. The focus is on prediction, lifecycle cost
management, and supporting property operations.

Comparison of Challenging Properties

The third theme focused on solutions that enable the comparison of challenging properties
and the prioritization of identified best practices and actions, particularly concerning energy
efficiency and building technology. A service or product could, for example, help generate
situational overviews of the city’s property portfolio and identify scalable solutions.

Key Insights from the Competition

“The City of Helsinki’s goal is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. All energy efficiency measures
that help us get closer to this goal are extremely important. The companies participating in the
innovation competition approached the challenges from various perspectives, making the steering
group’s work particularly interesting. However, the top three winning solutions stood out, especially
for their innovation and implementation strategies.”

– Toni Vepsäläinen, Unit Manager, City of Helsinki’s Culture and Leisure Department

“The ERKKI project’s innovation competition demonstrated that companies play a key role in
developing innovative energy efficiency solutions. The awarded proposals proved that companies
can offer diverse solutions and services that address the needs of challenging properties and help
improve energy efficiency from multiple angles.”

– Timo Sillander, CTO, Forum Virium Helsinki

About Nuuka:
Nuuka Solutions is a pioneer in indoor climate and energy solutions, offering AI-based software
solutions to improve energy efficiency and indoor air quality in commercial and public buildings.
Founded in 2012, Nuuka is a Finnish company operating internationally across multiple markets.
Nuuka helps property owners reduce energy consumption, enhance user satisfaction, and achieve
sustainability goals. The company’s SaaS solution integrates seamlessly with various building
systems, enabling real-time monitoring and optimization of indoor air quality and energy