and once with HOFOR. Obviously, this poses a degree of hazzle to customers/consumers.
HOFOR is currently testing the flexumer approach in a proof-of- concept (POC) project carried out in cooperation with a private company. The private company provides individual building flexibility through a specific building control/management system. It also delivers the centralized aggregator platform of flexibility from all the buildings, as illustrated in the figure below: Additionally, the benefits for the customers are already promising. As part of the initial project activities, they have, on average, realized a 5 % energy savings since the beginning of 2025 by accessing an online predictive control system for their district heating substations, utilizing weather forecasts as part of the POC. Customers are eager to contribute to a sustainable energy system of the future. The experience so far is that HOFOR’s customers are very positive and interested in engaging in voluntary agreements to become flexumers. However, they request it to be easy to implement and adapt, and here, unfortunately, the POC project, in its current setup, has certain impediments for customers. One constraint is that there is a limited number of providers of building controls/management systems that can control, release, and aggregate thermal flexibility in buildings; therefore, only a part of Copenhagen’s building owners can participate. HOFOR will, in a future EU project, motivate new control/ management system providers to develop their products so that they can offer aggregated flexibility to the DH system. Another constraint is that Danish legislation requires voluntary agreements to be made twice – once with the private company
To conclude Flexibility provided by the demand side is essential for the future sustainable energy system. To fully activate the demand-side flexibility potential, a new approach is needed. This approach is entailed in the flexumer concept. The concept helps to understand and motivate the consumer side of the energy system - and by doing so, more efficiently include them as energy-conscious ambassadors. A brief definition - in context - could be: Consumers = end users of energy Flexumers = flexible and conscious consumers of energy Prosumers = consumers, flexumers, and producers of energy The coming decade will be crucial for developing the sustainable energy system. In Copenhagen, this will be achieved by introducing PTH production with heat pumps and electric boilers in combination with low-temperature DH. From this perspective, flexumers could be an important enabler, as they both increase energy efficiency and provide flexibility. Flexumers could be key to realizing the sustainable, resilient, and affordable DH and energy system of the future. However, for the full potential of flexumers to be realized, it should be easy for customers to adapt. In a Danish context, this requires a combination of revised framework conditions, new technical solutions, and new ways to engage customers.
For further information please contact: krih@hofor.dk
Figure 3: Detailed illustration of the concept for bringing thermal flexibility in buildings into the detailed production planning at HOFOR. Source: Danfoss Leanheat
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