AI solves Sweden’s energy challenge

In Sweden, most of the energy debate is about building more capacity – nuclear vs wind. The bigger missed opportunity is how we actually use the energy we already have.

Home heating accounts for roughly 22 percent of Sweden’s total electricity use. By controlling heat more intelligently at night, we can reduce demand peaks, lower household energy bills and take pressure off an already strained grid. And no, that does not mean every homeowner has to become an energy expert or manually adjust the thermostat every evening – this can be automated.

With AI-driven control, a home can automatically lower indoor temperature a few degrees when the grid is under stress, pre-heat based on weather forecasts, and coordinate that with solar, batteries and flexible heat pumps. The effect: lower bills for households, fewer capacity spikes, and less need for expensive new production.

This is possible with today’s technology. Policy just hasn’t caught up. We still talk mostly about “building more”, instead of “using smarter”.

The future of energy is not only more generation. It is intelligence, in every home.

Read more (in Swedish): https://www.di.se/debatt/ai-loser-sveriges-energiutmaning/

/ Johan Outinen, CEO and co-founder, Elvy