How Helen develops flexibility solutions for households with Synergi

About Helen

Helen is one of the largest energy companies in Finland with over 600,000 customers. Helen’s energy production is awarded as the most efficient in the world and they aim to achieve 100% carbon neutrality in their energy production. 

Helen’s business consists primarily of the production of electricity, district heating and cooling, as well as energy distribution and sales. The cornerstones of Helen’s strategy are clean transition, flexibility and profitability.

The Challenge

Flexibility being one of Helen’s strategic cornerstones, the company had been actively seeking effective household flexibility solutions. While Helen is a leading player in industrial-scale flexibility in Finland, it lacked in-depth experience in the household segment.

Partnering with Synergi – Finland’s leading whole-home energy optimization provider with deep user-level expertise – was a natural choice. The goal of the collaboration was to develop new opportunities for households to participate in demand response programs.

The Solution

As part of the pilot-phase, a selected group of Helen customers tested Synergi’s home energy optimization solution by connecting their heat pumps or electric vehicles to the Synergi platform.

The focus of the pilot was to understand how to provide households with tangible consumer benefits, such as a lower energy bill, and incentives for shifting consumption to grid optimal times.

“Collaborating with Helen enables us to bring smarter flexibility solutions to their customers, faster. It’s inspiring to develop solutions with such innovative players that benefit both households and utilities while accelerating the energy transition,” says Harri Iisakka, COO of Synergi.

The Results

High retention and satisfaction scores

Synergi received excellent feedback from Helen’s household customers, with almost all, (90%), expressing interest in continuing to use Synergi’s service in the future. Special thanks were given to Synergi’s easy-to-use application and simple setup which users rated at 4.4/5.

Validated tactics for end-user adoption 

Synergi helped Helen boost participation in its pilot program by combining strategic and tactical approaches: testing messaging, refining audience targeting, and optimizing onboarding flows. As a result, participation increased by 135%.

Preparing for rollout to all customers

The collaboration is now progressing with the rollout of the Synergi service for all Helen customers and the development of demand response programs designed to fully harness the potential of household flexibility.

"Optimising energy use is key to a sustainable future — and our customers play a crucial role in making this possible. By raising awareness and engaging them in demand response programs, we drive smarter energy use. Collaborating with Synergi helps us achieve this at the right pace, empowering customers to support the energy transition.” says Mika Tuominen, Product Manager from Helen.

Building demand response programs that work

At Synergi, we help utilities transform residential flexibility from a technical concept into a strategic advantage through a compelling user experience.

Our extensive playbook captures insights on the messages, channels, and strategies that drive adoption in demand response programs. Adoption isn’t just an operational detail — it’s the critical foundation for scaling flexibility, unlocking the full potential of connected assets, and building a clean, reliable energy system that benefits everyone.

If you’d like to explore how Synergi’s VPP can help you maximise the flexibility of your customers’ connected assets and create measurable impact, leave us your details below: