„Thanks to ThingsBoard, our energy data management system was able to meet BAFA’s criteria in a very short time and be included in the list of eligible, subsidizable systems. The platform already provides most of the required functionality, so meeting BAFA’s requirements took significantly less time than planned."
– Julian Deymann, Teamleiter SWK connect
Stadtwerke Krefeld offers its business customers energy monitoring to track their energy consumption. The system previously in use enabled demand-oriented visibility into and verification of energy consumption; however, it was very rigid, did not allow flexible analyses, and was not integrated into Stadtwerke’s processes for cross-cutting evaluations.
To create a genuine energy management solution with IoT integration that can be used by both internal users and customers, Stadtwerke began searching for an IoT platform with the appropriate capabilities. Energy management systems are publicly subsidized by BAFA (Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control), but to qualify they must meet the requirements of the international energy management standard ISO 50001.
Finding an IoT platform for IoT data integration and energy management
In the search for suitable software, it became clear that the solutions available on the market only offered energy management functions. However, Stadtwerke was looking for a platform that also provided capabilities for connecting, integrating, and analyzing IoT device data.
Using the free version of ThingsBoard, the company was easily able to test the required functionalities: “In our hands-on testing, we quickly discovered that ThingsBoard’s built-in features already met our requirements. It was clear that with other solutions, we would have had to pay for extensive modifications, whereas with ThingsBoard, only minor adjustments would probably be needed,” comments Julian Deymann, team leader of the SWK connect project group, on the decision-making process.
With ThingsBoard as a foundation, Stadtwerke was able to merge both into a single solution: an IoT platform and an energy management system. Another advantage of ThingsBoard was that the company could operate everything itself, rather than merely being a user of the software and dependent on the vendor.
„ThingsBoard could do far more than just energy management. Other software would have required costly extensions—and would have taken much longer. The same applies to data integration; we would also have had to pay extra for that. ThingsBoard already included everything natively and additionally gives us the option to adapt and shape the solution ourselves in the future."
– Julian Deymann, Teamleiter SWK connect
Virtually unlimited use cases
ThingsBoard’s IoT capabilities enable Stadtwerke to connect a wide range of business areas and user groups. While business customers are provided with an energy management tool, Stadtwerke itself can monitor the district heating network and measure groundwater levels. According to Julian Deymann, this breadth of functionality and universal applicability is unique: “For our purposes, ThingsBoard is universally applicable and can be used in parallel—we didn’t have to commit to a single domain. Because we were able to cover multiple different scenarios, we will remain flexible in the future.”
Supporting multiple user groups
Thanks to ThingsBoard, Stadtwerke can offer tailored solutions for different user groups:
- Energy management: Business customers can monitor their properties, systems, and rooms and measure energy consumption precisely to identify savings potential. This goes beyond pure energy metering and also includes light levels, humidity, noise levels, and whether doors are open or closed.
- Smart City: The City of Krefeld measures parking and environmental data, as well as fill levels of used-clothing and waste-paper containers. The city administration views the data in its own user area and can create its own analyses there.
- District heating monitoring: Stadtwerke’s network operator uses ThingsBoard to monitor the district heating network using 1,500 meters.
- Groundwater levels: For the District Government in Düsseldorf, Stadtwerke monitors groundwater levels. Currently, 450 sensors are being installed to replace manual measurements and enable hourly readings in the future.
