Certified energy management
enercity AG is one of the largest green electricity providers in Germany. With a broad range of intelligent energy solutions and energy-related services, the Hanover-based energy supplier makes an important contribution to greater energy efficiency. Energy controlling is also an integral part of the portfolio - under its own name enercity EnergieControlling, enercity relies on certified energy management with the help of IngSoft InterWatt.
Since 2004, enercity AG has been providing its customers with transparency about their own energy consumption with the "enercity EnergieControlling" service product by making measurement data available to them via the Internet. Close customer contact and intensive advice on energy efficiency from experienced engineers round off this range of services.
In 2017, the company decided to expand its existing energy controlling system both for customers and in-house into a certified energy management system in accordance with DIN EN ISO 50001. The software solutions that had been in use at enercity until then were unable to meet this requirement. A new provider was needed!
Selection process
An initial review phase of the energy management solutions available on the market and the proven features of the software in use at the time resulted in a comprehensive list of requirements. The most important points of the evaluation matrix included
- Flexible and clear mapping of organizational structures with the associated measuring points
- Concentrated information on an easily accessible dashboard
- Versatile analysis options
- Uncomplicated document storage
- Filling with master and measurement data as automatically as possible
- Flexible handling of access rights
- Branding
- Certification
- Size of the manufacturer and development department
Of course, costs also played a role. Six providers were approached. None of the software solutions met all the criteria in full. An in-depth exchange then took place with three manufacturers. In the end, IngSoft InterWatt scored the most points in the evaluation matrix and won the race.
It was also possible to jointly find solutions for the requirements that had not yet been fully met by the software. "When setting up the compromise, the IngSoft team was flexible and solution-oriented," recalls Jens Beermann, graduate engineer in the Energy Efficiency department at enercity and responsible for the "enercity EnergieControlling" product.
Project data at a glance (as of summer 2024)
| IngSoft InterWatt customer since: | September 2018 |
|---|---|
| Number of energy properties managed: | 4.500 |
| Type of data collection: | Predominantly automated |
| Number of users: | Approx. 1500 (including employees and customers) |
| Energy sources recorded: | Electricity, gas, heating oil, wood pellets, heat, cooling, steam, compressed air, water |
| Data sources used: | Energy billing systems, remote reading systems, forecasting systems, metering point operators, grid operators, energy service providers, data loggers |
| Particularly relevant features: |
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Setting sail together
In December 2018, the foundation stone was laid for the introduction of the software. At the same time, a major customer of enercity with nationwide deliveries also wanted to introduce an energy management system. This led to the decision to implement IngSoft InterWatt together, test it and learn from each other. In April 2019, the utility company started to help set up the structures for its customer and fill them with transaction data. They attended the necessary IngSoft InterWatt basic training courses together.
Contract adjustments were also required for use at enercity AG, which were defined in the fall of 2019. "IngSoft once again proved to be contractually flexible," reports Jens Beermann.
This was followed by the migration of another major customer with complex requirements that had previously received non-certified energy management from enercity. The implementation lasted until fall 2021 and required extensive coordination and prototyping.
Thanks to the experience gained, things then continued very quickly: implementation in-house was not the only thing on the agenda - around 300 enercity customers with a total of 3,500 meters were migrated by the end of the year. IngSoft provided support in setting up master data in several places. The software deployment got underway!
Broad range of services
Thanks to IngSoft InterWatt, enercity AG now has a much broader product portfolio at relatively low additional cost, which it offers its customers as enercity EnergieControlling. It ranges from the simple provision of measurement data, periodic reports and individual dashboards to certified energy management.
IngSoft has also implemented several new measurement data interfaces for enercity and made adjustments in the area of rights assignment and document storage. These are now also available to other IngSoft InterWatt customers.
The enercity customers welcome the additional professionalization of the energy controlling offer. But there are also synergy effects within the company itself: With the help of the software, two databases and a spreadsheet solution have been combined, making them much easier to use.
Jens Beermann
Dipl.-Ing. in the Energy Efficiency Department, enercity AG
We recommend our energy controlling service product based on IngSoft InterWatt to our customers every day. Our experience with the product and the feedback from our customers is consistently positive.
Customer service as a reliable sparring partner
The energy supplier regularly makes use of IngSoft's customer service - due to the diverse and extensive use of the software. The service and solution-oriented approach is impressive, as is the speed of response.
If technical difficulties do occur, they are resolved promptly. Jens Beermann reports with satisfaction: "Over time, we have gotten to know a number of IngSoft employees. All of them are always open to our requests and questions. We have already found several solutions together. We feel well looked after and supported as partners."