District heating graph showing annual kWh consumption for a Swedish truck workshop
In December 2023, we received an unusual letter from a customer who preferred to remain anonymous. Let’s call him Bengt.
Bengt works as the facility manager at a truck workshop that, back in 2019, replaced seven of its old doors with Torverk folding doors. There was nothing technically wrong with the old ones—but since trucks had grown taller since the original doors were installed in the 1980s, they needed a bit more clearance.
For us, it was a standard installation. We did the job and moved on.
Months passed, and the new doors faded into the background. Business carried on as usual.
A Curious Drop in Heating Use
Then one day, in December 2023, Bengt was preparing a report on the workshop’s district heating consumption. He pulled up a graph from the company’s internal system showing heating usage over the last six years.
But something seemed off. The numbers looked too low.
So he double-checked—and found that the data was accurate.
Energy Consumption Had Dropped
The chart showed that annual consumption hovered around 640,000 kilowatt-hours per year up until 2019. Then, it suddenly dropped to 550,000 kWh. And that lower level had remained steady ever since.
According to Bengt, the only major change that year was the installation of new Torverk doors.
Was It Just a Warm Winter?
2020 happened to be one of the warmest years on record in Sweden. Could that explain the drop? Partially, perhaps. But the energy use stayed low in 2021 too—even though that year was colder than 2019.
The only logical conclusion? The Torverk doors are better sealed and better insulated than the old ones.
90,000 kWh Saved Per Year
Whatever the exact reason, the new Torverk doors have reduced the workshop’s annual heating use by approximately 90,000 kWh. And since the local cost of district heating averages around one Swedish krona per kilowatt-hour, the savings amount to roughly SEK 90,000 per year.
Payback in 3.5 Years
The total cost for the seven doors, including installation, was SEK 318,200 (excl. VAT). Assuming the company paid cash and didn’t finance the investment, the doors paid for themselves through energy savings in just 3.5 years.