31 projects for reduced electricity use in Sweden

- The interest has been great with almost 100 applications. We see many project with the potential to quickly contribute to reduced electricity use and which can also have a broad and long-term effect on how we as a society use electricity. We will follow up with a demo day at the end of 2023. It will be exciting when the solutions are shown with a focus on how much they have succeeded in influencing electricity use, says Erik Borälv, programme manager at Vinnova.

The investment complements the Energy Agency's campaign Every kilowatt hour (kWh) counts by contributing to innovations and project with a lasting impact on electricity use.

- Reduced electricity use leads to lower costs for households and businesses. And when demand decreases, we will most likely also get falling electricity prices. In addition, the risk of disturbances in the electricity system is reduced, says Jörgen Sjödin who is programme manager at the Energy Agency.

Example of a project that receives funding

Energitrappan Storkök
Eskilstuna municipality receives support to test new technology to reduce electricity use and lower power peaks in all the municipality's commercial kitchens. The goal is to reduce electricity use by 15 percent and power peaks by 30 percent in at least three school kitchens.

Collective innovation procurement of energy and power services
The energy efficiency companies run the project. Through joint procurements with a focus on apartment buildings, property owners can set higher eligibility requirements, while a more interesting market is opened up for suppliers.

Low power mode for buildings
Idun Real Estate Solutions AB, together with other property managers, will develop tools to schedule energy reductions in buildings with the goal of lowering energy consumption and relieving the electricity grid if necessary. At the same time, the tenants must be minimally affected.

Reduce tenant electricity use with behavioral insights
Nordic Behaviour Group AB uses behavioral science to reduce tenants' electricity use. Expected results are a deeper understanding of tenants' barriers and conditions, validated digital solutions and dissemination of this knowledge to at least 400 housing companies.

Scalable business model for electricity-efficient wood drying
Together with Jutos Timber AB, Alent Dynamic AB will develop a new power module that enables sawmills to shift the wood dryers' electricity and heat use over time to achieve lower power peaks and enable adaptation of electricity consumption to varying electricity prices.

More about the investment and all granted project

The total budget for the investment was SEK 15 million. About 100 applications were received, of which 31 project were granted funding with a maximum of SEK 500,000 each.
Innovations for reduced electricity use