35 degrees. That's how hot a construction site container can get on a frosty night, according to data from DTU startup Acembee. The company has developed a solution that monitors electricity consumption on construction sites to prevent it from running amok and wasting energy because heaters are blasting away or lights are left on inside containers and site huts when no one is working.
The solution consists of a sensor that—via its location on the electrical panel—can adjust lighting and heating depending on the activity at the construction site. It also consists of connected software that can keep track of the large amount of consumption data that is collected and present the data in comprehensible reports.
“We have built a solution that can help site managers with much of their work, which is currently done manually,” co-founder and DTU alumna Oline Stærke explains.
The figures for the efficiency gains achieved by using the solution speak for themselves: At MT Højgaard's construction site in Køge, where the company is renovating more than 200 homes, electricity consumption in the site huts and containers has been reduced by 40%.
Acembee's software also includes an AI assistant that can help collect data on the remaining consumption at the construction site, such as district heating, water, transport of materials, and waste generated. This allows the solution to provide an overview of the site's CO2 consumption.
Easy reporting
The solution has become even more relevant since building regulations were changed in July 2025 to tighten sustainability requirements in the construction industry. This means, among other things, that a lower limit for CO2 emissions per square metre of construction has been introduced in a bid to reduce the industry's climate footprint.
According to Acembee's calculations, it takes a minimum of 200 office hours per construction project to collect, enter and process data on a construction site's electricity consumption and generate the report that documents this consumption—a task that can be automated using the solution.
“We have found a customer segment that still needs more digitization, and in just one year we have gone from zero customers to helping over 20 construction sites with our energy optimization system,” Oline Stærke says.
To give Acembee's solution added value beyond the sustainability aspect, the startup's software developers are continuing their work so that it can soon also be used to ensure that suppliers have invoiced their clients the correct amount by comparing payments with order forms and the work performed.
“This is also hugely valuable, as the alternative is for the site manager to do it manually, which can lead to a lot of errors. There is a need for a digital management system for construction sites, and that's where we come in,” Oline Stærke says.
Although the solution was originally developed for construction sites, it can also be transferred to existing buildings or industries that want to measure and reduce their energy consumption.
