Energy flexibility platform Orus Energy has raised a €2.2 million pre-seed round to help decarbonize the power grid.
By optimizing the collective flexibility of large numbers of buildings, Orus’ software dynamically adjusts energy usage and shifts it to times when electricity prices are cheapest and more environmentally friendly, providing valuable flexibility to the power grid.
The platform leverages machine learning to predict a building’s power consumption and flexibility needs. It then enables intelligent, dynamic control of power consumption across a range of flexible energy-consuming assets, such as heat pumps and thermostats. Working in conjunction with widely deployed control systems, the demand response platform leverages a building’s thermal inertia to shift power demand without impacting occupant comfort, and compensates clients for this by up to 10 percent of their energy bills.
The funding round was led by b2venture, along with leading French impact funds Asterion Ventures and Ring Capital, and also saw participation from several angel investors from the industry, including Pierre Trémolières (Accenta.ai) and Myriam Maestroni (e5t).
“Orus Energie’s mission is to achieve a decarbonized electricity grid through consumer engagement,” commented co-founder Alexandre Girard. “Our approach is unique: by using buildings as thermal batteries on a large scale, we will help unlock six gigawatts of electricity demand in France alone by 2030.”
“The power grid has become the weakest link in the energy transition. On the one hand, the rise of intermittent renewable energies and, on the other hand, the growing electrification of applications with the introduction of electric vehicles and heat pumps are putting increasing strain on the grid,” said Fanie Sauvé, co-founder and COO of Orus Energy. “The power grid’s vital role of constantly balancing production and consumption is becoming increasingly challenging.”
In this evolving energy environment, demand-side flexibility is the foundation for the transition to a resilient energy system that fully integrates renewables. Adjusting electricity usage for flexible devices such as heating, EV charging and systems based on grid demand can directly reduce reliance on polluting peak periods.
Demand-side flexibility has proven effective in the industrial sector, generating €1.3 billion in electricity in France in 2022, but is reaching its limits. Commercial buildings, which account for more than a third of peak electricity consumption, have the greatest potential for scalable flexible power.
Since its commercial launch in 2023, Orus Energy has rapidly attracted attention and adoption from both commercial and office building owners and facility managers. The winner of La Caisse des Dépôts’ recent Techsprint call for projects, Orus Energy already has over one million square meters of real estate space registered on its platform, deploying its solution in buildings for notable clients such as retail giant IKEA and real estate leader La Poste Immobilier.
“Alexandre, Fanny and Théophile are exceptionally talented and form a great team tackling a big problem,” said Florian Schweitzer, founding partner of b2venture. “Making the energy grid smarter and smoothing peak energy demand and supply is a worthy mission that will have a major impact on society and bring significant benefits to the economy.”
