Velux Aims to Cool Homes While Easing the Grid
We Mean Business Coalition & Velux
This video is part of our series, Electric Advantage in Action, which spotlights how businesses are capitalizing on the tangible, wide-ranging benefits that come with electrification.
Velux is a market leader in roof windows, skylights and accessories, bringing daylight and fresh air to people’s homes. Historically, the company has focused on solving winter comfort, but as global temperatures rise, it’s also looking to addressing indoor comfort during the summer.
Velux is developing ventilative cooling and shading solutions, which are critical as energy demand strains the electricity grid, particularly during heatwaves. The current challenge is scaling these solutions and retrofit homes with ventilative systems that keep homes cool without plugging into the grid.
Transcript:
Elisabeth Hoffmann, Head of EU affairs at Velux:
“I’m head of EU affairs for Velux, and we are basically a market leader in roofs, windows, skylights and accessories, essentially bringing daylight and fresh air to people.”
“We have been applying an efficiency first approach, so we have first been reducing our energy demand, then electrifying and moving towards renewable energy.”
“The challenge in the past was that a big focus when we were looking at buildings was mostly winter comfort, and now, we’re realizing that we need to look way more into summer comfort as well.”
“Ventilative cooling and real shading are really critical when we are looking at the electricity grid. There are really high peaks when we’re having heat waves.”
“If we are not also using these kinds of free ventilative cooling systems that exist in addition to the very energy intensive energy systems, we will be having quite some issues in the future.”
“Our solar and also electrical roof, window, skylights, shutters and blinds really help people to make it very simple to ventilate but also control access to daylight at the right moment in time and that is really critical if we want to make buildings more resistant to heat.”
“The solutions are actually there already. What we need is just the kind of framework to really scale and accelerate, which is easier said than done.”
“I think overall if I look at the European level there is a lot of legislation in place that if it was implemented it would really help us get closer to the target.”
“Then, we will also have an electrification action plan at a European level where also heating and cooling should be a key part. There, I’m hopeful that some of these things will help tackle.”