When Hot Air is Highly Valuable: Scania Invests in Smart Air Tech by Enersize

Did you know that air compressors account for 5% of total power usage across the world?! Neither did we! Industrial compressed air is used in 90 percent of all factories, and it turns out, this is the new frontier for energy conservation.

According to Enersize, creators of this extraordinary new technology, air compression is one of the most common, and yet least efficient industrial practises throughout the world. In fact, chairman Christian Merheim notes that some of their biggest clients spend over $7 million US dollars each year on compressed air alone. The company aims to assist factories in reducing their energy expenditure, thereby decreasing their energy costs while helping the environment. The clever boffins over at Scania’s new venture capital fund, Scania Growth Capital, chose to bestow their very first investment upon Enersize, thus allowing them to launch their ambitious plan.

“We see great potential in the company and its ability to develop in the global market for energy-efficient and sustainable industrial production, which also promotes Scania’s continued development and growth and is in line with our vision of taking the lead in sustainable transport solutions. Enersize’s solution can contribute to a significant reduction in energy consumption at Scania’s industrial facilities and service workshops,” says Daniel Wedberg, Senior Vice President and Head of Corporate Management and Venture Business, Scania.

Enersize claims to be able to reduce CO2 emissions and energy consumption for users, with their ground-breaking software. Better still, the end users are not required to pay upfront for the technology, but simply contribute a percentage of their savings back to Enersize. This risk-free incentive is what’s likely to attract users; in fact, they already have a number of high-profile clients on board, including well-known producers of vehicles, paper, chemicals and one of the world’s largest manufacturers of flat-screens.

The Enersize website’s ‘about’ page boasts an impressive live-updating panel of statistics, including currently managed power and monthly savings of CO2 amongst their clientele. They claim to have already contributed to a whopping 1,416,600 kWh of energy savings since the release, and an astonishing 1062 tonnes of CO2. Those are some serious numbers. Merheim claims that once Enersize engineers get their hands on a manufacturer’s operations, they can make savings of 2-3% within minutes. Furthermore, within 3 months, clients will begin to see dramatic changes in their energy usage.

Focusing heavily on one of the world’s biggest polluters, China, Enersize hopes to make a significant environmental impact before taking their operations global.

“Using our energy efficiency software to make compressed air systems in China more efficient compared to doing it anywhere else in the world creates tremendous environmental impacts and market opportunities.”

This Finnish start-up are quickly establishing themselves as pioneers in efficiency technology development, and their mission is to become the global leader in compressed air efficiency software. While that’s certainly a niche market, there’s no doubt that the impacts of their innovation represent huge potential for savings both economically and environmentally.