Strømforbruket er lavere denne måneden.

Norwegian very often makes compound nouns by joining words together.

• strøm = electricity / power
• forbruk = consumption / usage
• strømforbruk = electricity consumption / power usage

Then the definite ending is added:

• strømforbruk = electricity consumption
• strømforbruket = the electricity consumption / the power usage

So Norwegian writes this as one word, where English would usually use two or more words.

-et is the definite article suffix for a neuter noun in the singular.

So:

• et strømforbruk = an electricity consumption / a power usage
• strømforbruket = the electricity consumption / the power usage

In Norwegian, the is often added to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word at the front.

Er is the present tense of å være = to be.

So here it works just like English is:

• Strømforbruket er lavere = The electricity consumption is lower

This is the normal present-tense form for statements like this.

Lavere is the comparative form of lav = low.

• lav = low
• lavt = low (neuter/basic agreement form)
• lavere = lower

Because the sentence is making a comparison, Norwegian uses the comparative:

• Strømforbruket er lavere = The electricity consumption is lower

It does not mean just low; it means lower than some reference point.

Good question. The sentence implies a comparison, but the comparison point is left unstated because it is understood from context.

So lavere means lower, but Norwegian does not have to explicitly say than before, than last month, or than usual if that is already clear.

If you wanted to make it explicit, you could say:

• lavere enn i fjor = lower than last year
• lavere enn forrige måned = lower than last month

Here, enn = than.

In your sentence, the speaker simply leaves that comparison point unsaid.

Because Norwegian normally uses a double definite structure with demonstratives like denne = this.

So you say:

• denne måneden = this month
• denne uka = this week
• denne bilen = this car

Notice that the noun is still definite:

• måned = month
• måneden = the month

This is different from English, where this month does not use the.

-en is the usual definite singular ending for many masculine nouns.

• en måned = a month
• måneden = the month

So in denne måneden, the noun is definite even though it already has denne in front. That is normal Norwegian grammar.

Usually, no—not in this sentence.

Denne måneden on its own works as a time expression meaning this month.

• Strømforbruket er lavere denne måneden. = The electricity consumption is lower this month.

Adding i would usually sound unnatural here. Norwegian often uses bare time expressions without a preposition in this kind of sentence.

Yes. In everyday English translation, it can often be rendered as:

• electricity consumption
• power consumption
• electricity usage
• power usage

The exact English choice depends on context. Norwegian strøm often covers what English speakers may call electricity or power in practical everyday situations.

The sentence itself does not say. It only says that the electricity consumption is lower this month.

It could refer to:

• a household
• an apartment
• an office
• a factory
• a machine
• a whole building

The context would tell you whose consumption is being discussed.

Sometimes, yes, but it changes the nuance a little.

• lavere strømforbruk = lower electricity consumption
• mindre strømforbruk = less electricity consumption

Both can work, and both are natural in many contexts. But lavere often sounds like you are talking about the level of consumption, while mindre focuses more directly on quantity/amount.

In your sentence, lavere is perfectly natural.

Yes. Norwegian is a V2 language, which means the finite verb usually comes in the second position.

So:

• Strømforbruket er lavere denne måneden.

If you move the time expression to the front, you get:

• Denne måneden er strømforbruket lavere.

Notice that er still stays in second position, so strømforbruket moves after the verb.

That is a very common Norwegian word-order pattern.

A rough guide for an English speaker is:

STRUHM-for-broo-keh

And the whole sentence roughly like:

STRUHM-for-broo-keh er LAH-veh-reh DEN-neh MOO-neh-den

A few notes:

• ø in strøm does not exist in normal English; it is somewhat like the vowel in French deux or German schön
• the r is usually clearly pronounced
• denne has two syllables: DEN-ne
• måneden has three syllables: MÅ-ne-den

This is only an approximation, but it can help you get started.

Yes. The noun forbruk is neuter:

• et forbruk = a consumption
• forbruket = the consumption

Because the head of the compound is forbruk, the whole compound is also neuter:

• et strømforbruk
• strømforbruket

This is a useful rule in Norwegian compounds: the last part usually determines the gender.