Andebu Næringspark in Sandefjord saw few solutions, and had to do something to maintain operations. If not, the future could become very uncertain, says part owner Øystein Ellefsrød. – Then it would have been a tougher year, because it has become expensive. We had no choice. The company produces and exports products to industry. The solution for the large business premises was to switch from electricity and biodiesel to water-borne heat. They are rewarded for that. Got four million to halve electricity consumption When the heat pumps start, energy use in the building is halved. Money is saved when the use goes from 800,000 kWh to 400,000 kWh a year. The company doesn’t just save on electricity. They are also one of roughly 3,000 companies that receive money for the measures they have taken. In space Christmas, the business park received the happy message. They receive approximately NOK 4.1 million from Enova. By then, they had already spent around ten million kroner on energy measures. Despite high electricity costs, they had good enough finances to be able to pay for the investments in advance. Not everyone can do that. – It should have been a little different. Smaller businesses may not have the opportunity to ask the bank if they can borrow the money for a period, says Ellefsrød. Øystein Ellefsrød in Andebu Næringspark says not all companies have the opportunity to outsource large energy investments. Photo: Gry Eirin Skjelbred / news – Can help to reduce the pressure The plan for electricity support for the business sector was presented in September. The government assumed that the scheme would help around 20,000 businesses in areas with particularly high electricity prices. But only 3,186 companies applied for and received support through the state grant scheme Enova. Now the pot of NOK 2.8 billion for energy measures in companies has been used up. – Even if you qualify for something, it does not mean that you necessarily apply. In the end, it is the companies themselves that have to assess whether they have a need, says Minister for Business Jan Christian Vestre (Ap) to news. Industry Minister Jan Christian Vestre believes the scheme helps to reduce the risk for companies that want to invest in energy efficiency. Photo: Remi Sagen / news He believes the scheme has worked well. In addition to helping vulnerable businesses with support to pay the electricity bill, he believes the scheme reduces the pressure on the power system by making us use energy smarter. If all the energy measures in the companies are carried out, he says it will be possible to reduce energy consumption by up to 550 gigawatt hours a year. This corresponds to the annual electricity consumption of all households in the municipalities of Porsgrunn and Skien combined. – The scheme does not cover everyone Andebu Næringspark is glad they thought about energy savings before the state scheme came. Thus, they were ready and managed to apply within the deadline of a week and a half in December. – The short application deadline from Enova meant that many fell outside the scope, and do not get the opportunity. So the scheme does not cover everyone, says Øystein Ellefsrød in the business park. Maximum bad luck The convenience store in Helgeroa was not quite so lucky with the timing. They set up solar cells on the roof of the shop before the government support for energy measures came. As a result, they get no help with the investment of around three million kroner. Still, they don’t regret it. – If I had done it today, we could have applied for investment support. But the way the system is today, we probably jumped a bit too early, says Dag Arild Bakken, who owns Meny Helgeroa. Dag Arild Bakken in Meny Helgeroa set up solar cells on the roof of the shop before the grant scheme in Enova. He is nevertheless happy that they invested in renewable energy. Photo: Gry Eirin Skjelbred / news
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Expect 20,000 applications for electricity support – only 3,000 companies applied – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
