With sky-high electricity prices, more and more Norwegians have looked at their own consumption. How can the electricity bill be reduced? What do I need to buy to reduce my own electricity consumption? One way to save money and electricity is to install smart gadgets at home that manage consumption. Even with electricity support from the state, Norwegians’ consumption has decreased. Employees 50 people The players who sell solutions such as smart plugs and Wi-Fi ovens are noticing a big upswing in interest in new technology. The income of the company Futurehome has more than tripled from 2021 to 2022. – The power crisis has really opened people’s eyes, says Erik Stokkeland, who together with three friends started the company in his grandmother’s basement almost ten years ago. While the turnover of the smart house company last year ended at NOK 34 million, the income for 2022 has passed NOK 129 million. Stokkeland’s solution contributes to energy-saving use of water heaters, thermostats and electric car chargers at people’s homes. – We see enormous interest among consumers, says Stokkeland. The company has reinvested the income in the development of new products, design and customer support. This year alone, Stokkeland’s company has employed 50 people. Today, Futurehome has 88 employees. The director has a goal of fivefold today’s income, and then the company needs people – and they come from Norway, India, Nepal, Indonesia, Hungary, Romania and Portugal, among others. Futurehome CEO Erik Stokkeland shows off the invention that helps control heating, electric car charging and the water heater. Photo: Odin Omland / news The founding company of comrades Stokkeland, Sigbjørn Groven, Bjarne Handeland and Odd Eivind Evensen has existed for many years. For a long time the company struggled to find a direction. But new internet rent, cables to foreign countries and increased electricity prices made Stokkeland see which direction the company had to go. The company’s pure strategy was to reduce people’s electricity consumption. – We received an email from a network owner in Trøndelag. They said that if we got 1,000 customers to manage their consumption at a given time of the day, they could save NOK 300 million in new network investments. Smart solutions are good for the electricity grid and good for the individual consumer, says Stokkeland. Makes a lot of money from plugs that make old ovens smart Other companies that produce and sell energy-saving technology are also reporting good times. The family-owned oven manufacturer Mill International distributes heating and energy-saving oven products to 30 countries. This year, nearly three out of four Mill ovens sold provide for power management. Revenues increase from NOK 200 million last year to NOK 260 million this year. – We are seeing a large increase in “wifi sockets”, smart plugs that make traditional panel ovens smart in a sustainable and cost-effective way, says director Per Robert Robertson to news. Per Robert Robertson in Mill International estimates that a third of the 30 per cent turnover growth can be attributed to increased interest in energy saving. Photo: Mill International Technology to reduce electricity consumption is also among the Elektroimportøren’s investments. Sales of products for smart heating management have doubled for the company, which is listed on the Euronext Growth Oslo stock exchange. The annual income up to October was just over NOK 1.1 billion. In October, the company started selling heat pumps, and in January Elektroimportøren will sell solar cells. Now “everyone” must have smart thermostats that control the heat and lower the temperature when they are not at home. – In addition, there is great interest in being able to control water heaters. We have always sold thermostats, but now Norwegians also want to control the hot water. These are the two major current drivers, and in that sense they are very sensible measures, says managing director Andreas Niss of Elektroimportøren. – The big trend is that people are asking themselves what they have to do to reduce their own electricity consumption, says Andreas Niss, general manager of Elektroimportøren. Photo: Elektroimportøren The company Adax has a rich product history since 1948. It started with mixers and waffle irons, but today the company’s most popular products are wifi-controlled heaters. Sales are good in Norway, and especially exports to a Europe undergoing a green transition are growing, according to general manager Roger Dalen. – We see that more people are using technology such as day and night dimming, remote control and other Wi-Fi functionalities, says Roger Dalen, who can note an increased turnover from NOK 287 million last year to NOK 305 million within heating products.
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Futurehome triples the income from Norwegians’ electricity savings – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
