Ouman and Themo have signed a cooperation agreement to develop flexible supply solutions for the building energy market. As part of the cooperation, the Ouman Ouflex automation system will be integrated with Themo’s smart controller, which enables the use of various large electrical loads in buildings of all sizes.
"As a company specialising in building automation and energy efficiency, we have an important role to play in developing solutions to stabilise frequency deviations in the grid. New fossil-free energy solutions, such as solar and wind energy, present greater instability for the grid and we are working with several energy companies on issues such as demand flexibility for district heating and peak power curtailment. The cooperation with Themo represents a continuation of Ouman’s range of offerings in the market for flexible energy. In the future, we will also be able to offer our customers demand flexibility services for electric heating."Timo Tiainen, Business Director of the Ouman Building Automation Division
The core innovation of Themo, a Finnish-Estonian cleantech company, is an efficient algorithm for optimising electricity use, which allows smart thermostat-controlled loads, usually underfloor heating loads, to be brought to the demand flexibility market. The advanced cloud solution passed Fingrid’s requirements for a frequency containment reserve for normal operation and disturbances in Finland in spring 2024.
“In practice, Themo’s smart controller is installed in the property alongside the Ouman Ouflex system. When a frequency deviation is detected in the grid, the signal is transmitted to Themo’s controller, which forwards it to Ouflex. Based on this, the Ouflex system switches the desired load on or off. The solution enables fast and intelligent use of all the resistive power in the building,” says Joonas Rantala, Sales Director at Themo.
Cooperation with a major player in the building automation sector, such as Ouman, is important for Themo in terms of product and service development.
"We are all on the brink of new things, and it is therefore particularly important that we can co-develop with Ouman, a major player in the building automation sector. The project perfectly combines Ouman’s expertise in building environment and control with Themo’s smart technology."Joonas Rantala, Sales Director at Themo
Ouman is also happy about the strategic cooperation.
“By working together, we are contributing to bringing Finnish properties into a new era. We have previous experience in demand flexibility for district heating, and Themo’s solution now enables integration with the electricity reserve market. Modern Ouman Flexiot building automation systems have been installed in more than 10,000 properties. Thanks to the integration of these and Themo, we can offer thousands of properties the opportunity to join the electricity reserve market,” says Tiainen.
Optiflexiot, Ouman’s newly launched product innovation, is a product developed for the energy optimisation of electrically heated buildings, which controls the electricity consumption on a spot price basis, for example in geothermal locations.
In the spring, Themo received EUR 1.3 million in growth funding for product development after passing Fingrid’s reserve market regulation test. In addition, Themo is running a EUR 600,000 project, supported by Business Finland, to identify demand flexibility market opportunities and define more relevant demand flexibility market services and devices. For its current customer base, Themo manages around 10 megawatts. By the end of 2026, the aim is to control 60 MW of power.
Joonas Rantala
Sales Director, Themo
joonas.rantala@themo.fi
+358 40 827 1962
Timo Tiainen
Business Director, Ouman Building Automation
timo.tiainen@ouman.fi
+358 500 42 6908
Themo is a Finnish-Estonian cleantech company founded in 2014. Themo consists of the parent company Smart Load Solutions OÜ and its wholly owned Finnish subsidiaries Themo Nordic Oy and Themo AS. The technology developed by Themo is an important part of the smarter electricity grid of the future. The company’s long-term mission is to enable clean and affordable electricity for all. http://www.themo.io/
Ouman is a Finnish group specialising in building automation and energy efficiency and a reliable partner for property owners with over 30 years of experience. Ouman’s customers are domestic property owners in both the private and municipal sectors, ranging from small row house properties to large apartment blocks. . www.ouman.fi