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 optimisation 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 optimisation 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%.

Synergi is now Helen’s official household flexibility & smart optimisation partner

Following a successful pilot, Synergi is now Helen’s official household flexibility & smart optimisation partner — a major milestone for both companies that sets a new benchmark in the Finnish utility landscape.

The collaboration kicked off with the rollout of the service to all of Helen’s dynamic contract customers. Early results have been outstanding: traction during the soft launch exceeded targets by 3x. You can view Helen's current offering here.

"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: