Järvenpää renewed its lighting control
When the old street lighting control system had reached the end of its lifecycle, Järvenpää had to make a decision on a new solution. The city has approximately 45,000 inhabitants, and lighting is controlled via around 110 control cabinets covering approximately 8,000 luminaires. Most of the luminaires are still traditional high-pressure sodium lights, which are being replaced annually with LEDs at a pace of hundreds of luminaires per year.

The city had a clear need for a modern and already proven control system. “I didn’t want us to end up in a situation where, as a customer, we would have paid to do half of the supplier’s product development ourselves. We needed a solution that truly exists and is already in use elsewhere,” says Maintenance Supervisor Aki Mäkirinta from the City of Järvenpää.

Smooth procurement and fast installation
“I have been in the field for a long time and have seen many kinds of solutions, but the commissioning of this control solution really went as smoothly as it possibly could. There was no need to worry or wonder – things progressed logically from start to finish,” Mäkirinta states.

After the tendering process, Järvenpää chose C2 SmartLight’s solution. The decision proved to be the right one: the system was implemented faster than scheduled and without surprises. Modularity means that the city received a modern control system immediately, while future functionalities can be added flexibly without having to replace the entire system.

“We allocated three months for the installations, but our contractor Eltel completed the work in one month, in the middle of winter. That was a very positive surprise.”

The budget held, the schedule held – and according to Mäkirinta, the overall process went “really smoothly and effortlessly”.

Domestic origin and support in a decisive role
In Järvenpää, the maintenance organisation consists of six people, none of whom are electrical professionals. For this reason, maintenance and user support related to the solution weighed heavily in the decision.

“The fact that support is available in Finnish and close by is absolutely essential for us. I didn’t want to make myself indispensable, but to ensure that the organisation has support well into the future.”

Lower costs and energy savings ahead
The first impacts are already visible in maintenance costs. “Previously, costs were clearly at a higher level – now they have decreased by about one third, and the development continues downward,” Mäkirinta says.

The next step is luminaire specific control and dimming. This will bring additional savings and support the city’s goals of reducing energy consumption and its carbon footprint.

“For the first time, we now truly have the tools to think about how lighting can be controlled even more intelligently in the future.”

Opportunities also for special sites
Järvenpää’s goal is to extend control also to special sites – for example artworks and underpasses. “We have, for instance, illuminated artworks where we want to be able to change colours according to themed days. Without control, that is not possible. Similarly, lighting in underpasses is an important target for us – safety and user experience improve significantly when lighting can be adjusted according to the situation.”

Lighting for sports facilities based on bookings
Järvenpää is also developing lighting for sports facilities to be more user-oriented. The city uses the Timeworks booking system, and an interface is being built with C2 SmartLight. This means that field lighting will in the future be controlled automatically based on bookings.

“When a booking starts, the field lights turn on – and when it ends, they turn off. That saves energy and makes the system clear and easy for users,” Mäkirinta describes.

Would recommend to others
Mäkirinta sees the cooperation with C2 SmartLight as easy and reliable. “You always get hold of a real person and answers quickly. There haven’t been any problems.”

He would also recommend C2 to other municipalities. “For us, domestic origin, proximity of support and modularity are such significant factors that it is difficult to find a comparable solution on the market.”

C2’s Sales Manager Jani Lind also gives recognition to Järvenpää: “Järvenpää knew what it needed and prepared the procurement carefully. When the groundwork was solid, we were able to jointly implement a system that meets their needs quickly and without unnecessary hassle.”

Looking to the future
When Mäkirinta is asked what he would have done differently, the answer comes quickly: “I would have acquired this earlier.”

Järvenpää continues replacing luminaires and expanding control. The city has a clear direction: lighting that is energy-efficient, user-oriented and built to last for decades.

“This project gives us the foundation to succeed in the future. Now the groundwork has been laid on which we can build.”