Just the Right Warmth in Swedish Homes

The transition to a climate-neutral society concerns us all. One environmental aspect we may not always think about is how we waste heat in our homes.

The German company Tado is a well-known firm that manufactures smart products that can cool and heat homes, depending on the season. Recently, a few of Sweden’s most influential tech journalists had the opportunity to meet CEO Toon Bouten at a press breakfast arranged by Cloudberry.

The transition to a climate-neutral society concerns us all. One environmental aspect we may not always think about is how we waste heat in our homes. To reduce heat loss from housing, it is not enough to simply modernise boilers and use better insulation. An important link in the chain also involves using heating systems in a smarter way.

A third of the world’s energy consumption is used to heat or cool houses. Tado’s vision is for all houses in the future to have smart heating and cooling systems. If you are not at home, you do not need it to be as warm inside. A one-degree lower indoor temperature means about a five-percent reduction in energy use.

“Everyone talks about cars and planes as environmental villains, but few talk about heating and cooling. It is often very inefficiently used,” says Toon Bouten, CEO of Tado, who recently visited Stockholm.

Good for the Environment and the Wallet

The company Tado was founded in Munich in 2011 and offers digital solutions for efficient heating and cooling in houses and apartments. Their products ensure that heating and cooling systems use as little energy as possible, without compromising comfort. With minimal effort, each heating element can be individually controlled to save energy when, for example, no one is at home. They can also make rooms cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter living areas.

Tado’s products have helped make the company one of Europe’s most exciting names in the energy sector — and have attracted investors such as IT-giant Amazon and the energy company E.ON. It is perhaps no surprise that smart home markets have grown significantly in recent times, especially thanks to Google’s and Amazon’s products.

“Now the mass market of consumers is beginning to take an interest in smart products and realise what can be gained from, for example, smart thermostats and light switches,” says Toon Bouten.