Energy flexibility platform Orus Energy has raised a €2.2 million pre-seed round to help decarbonize the power grid.
The company has built a demand-side flexibility platform that enables commercial building operators to automatically shift energy consumption during peak energy periods.
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.
“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 increasing electrification of applications with the introduction of electric vehicles and heat pumps are putting increasing pressure 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 difficult.”
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 uses machine learning to predict power consumption and flexibility needs within a building, enabling intelligent and dynamic control of power consumption across a range of flexible energy consuming assets, including heat pumps and thermostats.
Working in conjunction with large-scale deployed control systems, the demand response platform harnesses a building’s thermal inertia to shift electricity demand without impacting occupant comfort, and compensates customers by saving up to 10% on their electricity bills.
With Orus Energy, customers can receive rewards of up to 10 percent of their annual electricity bill, contribute to maintaining the electricity grid that ensures power supply to thousands of homes, and significantly reduce the carbon intensity of peak electricity without affecting comfort.
“Orus Energy’s mission is to enable a decarbonized electricity grid through consumer engagement,” said Alexandre Girard, CEO and co-founder of Orus Energy.
“Our approach is unique: by using buildings as thermal batteries on a large scale, we can help unlock six gigawatts of electricity demand in France alone by 2030.”
Rapidly gaining popularity within a year of its release
Since launching its commercial rollout in 2023, Orus Energy has clients such as La Caisse des Dépôts and Techsprint, and has already registered over one million square meters of real estate space on its platform, installing its solutions in buildings for well-known clients such as retail giant IKEA and real estate giant La Poste Immobilier.
The funding round was led by b2venture, Asterion Ventures and Ring Capital, and also included several industry angel investors, including Pierre Trémolières (Accenta.ai) and Myriam Maestroni (e5t).
“Alexandre, Fanny and Théophile are exceptionally talented and form a great team tackling big problems,” said Florian Schweitzer, founding partner at b2venture.
“Making smarter use of the energy grid and smoothing out peak energy demand and supply is a worthy mission that will have a major impact on society and bring significant benefits to the economy.”
Orus Energy’s next steps are focused on developing new impactful features and outreach to a wider range of customers, and the company plans to build a core team of 20 by the end of 2025.
Main image: Orus Energy. Photo: Uncredited.
