Data driven service management for district heating networks
How EnergyGrip sets a new standard for reliable, transparent, and efficient district heating management in the Netherlands
Towards a new era of digital heat network management
The Netherlands is in the middle of a fundamental transformation of its energy system. As the country phases out natural gas, the importance of collective district heating networks is growing as a sustainable solution for heating homes, offices, and business parks.
At the same time, these heat networks are complex. They are dynamic systems in which production, distribution, and consumption must continuously remain aligned. Small deviations can have major consequences for efficiency, security of supply, and the associated costs.
The era of manual meter readings and reactive maintenance is therefore definitively behind us. Modern district heating networks require continuous monitoring, real-time analysis, and immediate control. And that is exactly where Aurum comes in.
With the EnergyGrip platform, Aurum has developed a digital backbone for district heating networks. The platform collects, validates, and interprets data from across the entire system, from the heat plant to the in-home heat interface unit, and forms the beating heart for billing, service, and operations. EnergyGrip enables operators to detect faults early, coordinate installers efficiently, and inform end users with transparent consumption insights.
The Collective Heat Act (Wet collectieve warmte), adopted in July 2025, further strengthens this need. The new law introduces stricter requirements for data quality, reliability of supply, and consumer protection. Heat companies must be able to demonstrate how reliably their networks operate and how tariffs are determined.
Aurum’s vision, data management as the foundation of trust, aligns seamlessly with this development.
CE Delft: The effect of stagnating growth in district heating networks
This study analyses the consequences if the development of district heating networks slows down or comes to a standstill. Note: I could not find a publicly available detail page, so this is based on context. The conclusion is that delaying investment in district heating leads to higher societal costs, partly because alternatives such as all-electric solutions or individual heat pumps place greater pressure on grid infrastructure and the energy system.
Source: CE Delft, The effect of stagnating growth in district heating networks
https://ce.nl/publicaties/het-effect-van-het-stagneren-van-de-groei-van-warmtenetten/
The Collective Heat Act as a driver of transparency and trust
On 3 July 2025, the Dutch House of Representatives adopted the Collective Heat Act (Wcw). On 9 December 2025, the Senate approved the law, meaning it became officially enacted and will enter into force. The Wcw forms the legal and organisational foundation for the heat market of the future. Where the former Heat Act mainly focused on consumer protection, the Wcw goes further: it structures the entire sector around public governance, sustainability, and transparency.
Municipalities in control: heat concessions and public governance
The law stipulates that municipalities will take the lead in defining heat concessions (warmtekavels). These are clearly delineated areas within which one heat company is responsible for supply and management. This enables planned network development aligned with local sustainability goals.
Costs based on reality: a more transparent tariff structure
At the same time, the tariff structure changes fundamentally. From now on, heat prices will be determined based on actual costs. That means operators must be transparent about their real costs, including maintenance, distribution, and procurement. The link to gas prices disappears.
Strict requirements for reliability and sustainability
In addition, the Wcw places strong emphasis on reliability of supply and sustainability. Heat companies must demonstrate that their systems operate reliably, even during peak loads or in the event of failures. The share of renewable heat sources must also increase year by year, in line with climate targets.
More rights and clarity for consumers
For consumers, the law brings more rights and clarity. They gain the right to insight into their consumption in GJ (gigajoules), transparent invoices, and fair tariffs. Operators are required to collect metering data reliably, correct errors, and handle complaints quickly.
EnergyGrip as a solution for Wcw reporting and compliance
For Aurum, the Wcw confirms exactly what the company has been advocating for years: the availability of reliable data is the core of trust. EnergyGrip provides heat companies with all the tools they need to comply with the requirements of the Wcw. The platform supports reporting on delivered heat, outage duration, availability, losses, and consumption per heat concession. This information can be used for municipal reporting or regulatory oversight by the ACM.
This turns regulation into an opportunity rather than a burden. The Wcw encourages the sector to measure better, communicate better, and perform better. And with EnergyGrip, heat companies can make that challenge concrete, with one platform, one dataset, and one single source of truth, a central, reliable data source.
House of Representatives: Bill 36576 (Collective Heat Act)
This bill regulates the production, transport, and delivery of collective heat supply in the Netherlands. Key themes include public steering by municipalities, defining heat concessions, protection of consumers from high tariffs, and requirements for a public majority stake in the heat company.
Source: House of Representatives, Bill 36576 (Collective Heat Act)
https://www.tweedekamer.nl/kamerstukken/wetsvoorstellen/detail?id=2023Z05652&dossier=36576
The digital heat interface unit: the beating heart of the smart heat network
Every home connected to a district heating network has a heat interface unit (HIU). This device transfers collective heat to the resident’s internal installation system. What used to be a passive component has now become a smart, digitally connected part of the network, the most important measurement and control point in the chain.
Every modern HIU connected via EnergyGrip continuously transmits measurement data. This includes heat consumption in GJ, supply and return temperatures, flow, pressure, status codes, and fault messages. This data is transmitted via secure protocols such as M-Bus and Modbus to the Network Operations Center (NOC), where it is automatically validated.
When the platform detects an anomaly, for example a sudden drop in Delta-T or an unusual flow pattern, it becomes visible immediately. The NOC can then intervene by adjusting a setpoint, performing a soft reset, or temporarily closing a valve. Where a technician previously had to be scheduled, action can now often be taken digitally within minutes.
This not only results in faster fault resolution, but also less heat loss and higher comfort for residents. Small remote interventions often prevent major energy losses. They also deliver significant savings in time and logistics.
All communication is secure and controlled. Every action is logged, and if the connection is ever lost, the HIU automatically switches to local control. This safeguards continuity of supply.
Reliable energy data is the foundation of billing and performance management
A reliable heat network starts with reliable data. Without accurate measurement data, it is impossible to gain insight into efficiency, losses, or consumption profiles. Yet in practice, many heat networks still struggle with inaccurate or incomplete measurements. Think of consumption meters that do not communicate properly and therefore lose data, HIUs with irregular data streams, or manual validation processes that take time and can introduce errors. On top of that, mobile connectivity remains an uncertainty, requiring additional attention to minimise these issues.
Aurum has solved this problem with the EnergyGrip platform, where data reliability is central. Every measured GJ is stored in the system. Missing values are automatically detected and restored. The result is a dataset that is not only technically accurate, but also legally and financially reliable.
For operators, this means direct control over network performance. EnergyGrip shows how different neighbourhood areas perform, where losses occur, and which HIUs structurally deviate from the average. This makes it possible to detect problems early and steer targeted efficiency improvements.
For residents, the value is just as significant. Through a mobile app, they gain insight into their own consumption, clear, validated, and easy to understand. That builds trust. Where other energy systems often raise questions about estimates or inaccuracies, EnergyGrip users know their invoice is based on what was actually consumed.
In this way, reliable data forms not only the basis for billing, but also for a sustainable relationship between the heat company and the resident, built on transparency, control, and substantiation.
RVO: Overview of district heating sustainability in 2024
Reliable energy data is becoming increasingly important. This publication provides an overview of sustainability performance and the growth of district heating networks in the Netherlands in 2024. The report shows that both the growth in the number of connections and the contribution of renewable sources in district heating declined in 2024, which may indicate stagnation or a slowdown in the decarbonisation of this infrastructure.
Source: RVO, Overview of district heating sustainability in 2024
https://www.rvo.nl/sites/default/files/2025-10/Overzicht-duurzaamheid-warmtenetten-in-2024.pdf
Source: RVO, Declining sustainability and growth of district heating in 2024
https://energeia.nl/rvo-dalende-duurzaamheid-en-groei-warmtenetten-in-2024
Fault detection and alerting become the eyes and ears of the network
A heat network is constantly in motion. Supply temperature changes with the weather, flow responds to heat demand, and every component in the system influences the whole, from primary pipes to the HIU. In such a dynamic system, real-time insight is essential.
In the past, failures were often only noticed when residents complained about lukewarm water or cold radiators. By then, the issue had already been active for hours or days, with all the consequences: comfort complaints, higher losses, and inefficient operations.
EnergyGrip has reversed this process. By continuously collecting and analysing data, the platform can detect anomalies before they lead to outages. A sudden temperature drop in the return line, an abnormal flow pattern, or repeated fault codes, the system recognises patterns and automatically generates an alert in the NOC dashboard.
Each alert includes context: where, when, and why. The NOC sees not only that there is an issue, but also the likely cause and the urgency. Operators can therefore prioritise and act immediately.
In many cases, the issue can be resolved remotely. Resetting a control module or adjusting a setpoint is sometimes enough to restore balance. If physical intervention is required, the installer receives all relevant information in advance, saving time and avoiding unnecessary trips.
Real-time fault monitoring makes the heat network smarter, more efficient, and more reliable. It is the difference between putting out fires and continuous monitoring, a fundamental step towards predictive maintenance, which is increasingly important given shortages of technicians and installers.
Netbeheer Nederland: Meta-analysis of district heating networks
This meta-analysis brings together existing knowledge on district heating networks through literature research, model analysis, and synthesis of success and risk factors. The aim is to provide insight into the societal value of district heating, covering business economics, macro-economic impact, energy system impact, sustainability, and social factors, and to support when and where district heating is a sensible solution.
Source: Netbeheer Nederland, Meta-analysis of district heating networks
https://www.netbeheernederland.nl/sites/default/files/2025-05/slides_meta-analyse_nbnl_warmtenetten_final_2.0_-_28_04_2025.pdf
Billing and reporting provide insight for residents and operators
In an energy market that is becoming increasingly transparent, reliable billing is more than an administrative process. It is a matter of trust. Residents want to understand how their bill is calculated, and operators must be able to prove their data is correct.
EnergyGrip makes this link fully transparent. Every GJ consumed in a home can be traced directly back to a measured value validated by the system. The invoice is built from this data, with automatic linkage to tariff models and corrections such as degree-day normalisation.
Residents can see this insight in their personal EnergyGrip app. They can view daily and weekly consumption and compare it with the previous year or similar homes. This not only increases clarity, but also awareness: many residents change their behaviour once they can put consumption into perspective.
For operators, it opens up new possibilities. By combining billing trends with technical data, they can identify anomalies. For example, a neighbourhood where structurally more GJs are billed than delivered can help trace the root cause of losses.
Billing thus becomes not only a financial process, but also a source of operational intelligence.
Optimisation by steering Delta-T and efficiency through data
Once the data stream is reliable, it can be used to improve the system itself. This is where the real power of EnergyGrip becomes visible: translating data into concrete performance improvements.
A district heating network contains countless variables that influence efficiency: supply and return temperatures, pressure differences, pump settings, and consumption profiles. Small deviations can collectively lead to major losses. By continuously tracking and correlating these parameters, trends become visible that would otherwise remain hidden.
One of the most important steering variables is Delta-T, the temperature difference between supply and return. A high Delta-T indicates efficient heat transfer at the HIU. A low Delta-T, on the other hand, points to unnecessary flow or poorly tuned controls.
When the platform detects that average Delta-T is declining within a cluster, operators can immediately investigate whether there is air in the system, incorrect setpoints, or fouled heat exchangers. Often, the NOC can already make remote adjustments to improve source efficiency and reduce distribution losses.
The effects are measurable. Reducing average network temperature by just 5°C can already lead to 15–20% less heat loss. In a network delivering 36,000 GJ per year, this equates to hundreds of GJs saved, without replacing any physical equipment.
Data-driven optimisation is therefore the step from managing to orchestrating. The network starts to steer itself based on measurable facts rather than assumptions.
RVO: Getting started with very low-temperature district heating networks
This publication explains very low-temperature heating and cooling networks. These networks operate at low temperatures, below around 30°C, and often provide heat and cooling simultaneously. It discusses the technology, including ATES, aquathermal energy, and residual heat, the applications for heating and cooling, and available subsidies and tools. Very low-temperature networks are presented as a promising future variant within the heat transition.
Source: RVO, Getting started with very low-temperature district heating networks
https://www.rvo.nl/onderwerpen/verduurzaming-warmtevoorziening/warmtenetten/zeerlagetermperatuur-warmte-koude-netten
Installers become the extended arm of the NOC
A heat network is only as reliable as the collaboration between data, technology, and skilled professionals. Installers are the physical link that translates data into action. As heat networks shift toward proactive fault detection, the installer’s role evolves from reactive problem solver to proactive system manager.
When the NOC detects an anomaly, for example a valve that is stuck, a Delta-T that is too low, or continuous flow, the installer automatically receives a digital work order containing all relevant information. This can include trend graphs, fault codes, likely cause, and urgency level. The installer no longer travels on assumptions, but with clear direction and preparation.
Simple faults can often be resolved directly from the NOC. A soft reset or temporary setpoint change restores balance within minutes. This allows installers to focus on structural optimisation rather than firefighting.
This collaboration leads to a new service level. The heat network is monitored and managed in a continuous cycle of detection, analysis, and improvement. The installer becomes a data-driven specialist who can use EnergyGrip to track trends, predict anomalies, and plan preventive maintenance.
This increases efficiency. Technicians who previously completed four to five visits per day can now handle seven to eight, with higher first-time fix rates and fewer follow-up actions. Operational costs decrease while reliability improves.
By strengthening collaboration between EnergyGrip and service management, digital insight is connected to human expertise. The NOC monitors and steers; the installer restores and optimises. Together, they create a network that learns, improves, and performs.
Netbeheer Nederland: District heating can improve the business case of the heat transition
In this article, Netbeheer Nederland states that district heating networks, if deployed effectively and supplied by suitable sources, can create a strong societal business case. They can reduce pressure on the electricity grid, provide a sustainable alternative to natural gas, and offer cost advantages in densely built areas compared to individual systems. The Wcw also places greater emphasis on affordability and fair cost allocation to strengthen acceptance.
Source: Netbeheer Nederland, District heating can improve the business case of the heat transition
https://www.netbeheernederland.nl/artikelen/nieuws/warmtenetten-kunnen-de-businesscase-van-de-warmtetransitie-verbeteren
The central role of the EnergyGrip portal: one platform that brings everything together
The EnergyGrip portal becomes the central point for service delivery: one environment where technical data, operations, and user interaction come together. What used to be spread across multiple systems now converges into a single whole, from metering data to billing, from alarm management to reporting.
In the portal, the NOC sees the real-time status of the entire network. By combining historical patterns with live data, the platform detects subtle deviations that might otherwise go unnoticed. When an incident occurs, the portal becomes an active operational environment: alerts, task allocation, and follow-up are automated. Installers receive a digital work order immediately, operators track progress, and residents gain insight into their own connection.
EnergyGrip’s horizontal and vertical access control structure ensures everyone sees only what is relevant and nothing more. This makes the system both efficient and secure.
EnergyGrip prevents the fragmentation that often arises from multiple standalone systems and creates one truth. The platform becomes not just a tool, but a foundation for collaboration and efficiency, an essential building block of the heat transition.
The portal also enables insights for data-driven optimisation. Operators can run performance analyses, installers can identify irregular patterns, and heat companies can generate reports that comply with the requirements of the Collective Heat Act.
EnergyGrip is therefore not just a management system, but an operational system, the digital foundation for reliable, sustainable, and transparent heat supply in the Netherlands.
Netbeheer Nederland: Infographic meta-analysis district heating networks
This infographic summarises key findings from Netbeheer Nederland’s meta-analysis on district heating. For example, when district heating networks are rolled out efficiently, societal costs per home can be around €49 to €292 lower per year. A standstill in new networks can lead to approximately €1.2 billion in additional costs nationwide.
Source: Netbeheer Nederland, Infographic meta-analysis district heating networks
https://www.netbeheernederland.nl/publicatie/infographic-meta-analyse-warmtenetten
Conclusion: one platform, one truth, fewer losses
The Dutch energy transition is at a tipping point. Where the decade began with pilots and local initiatives, we are now moving toward mature, data-driven district heating networks, already providing sustainable heat to hundreds of thousands of households. Under the Wcw, everything revolves around reliability, transparency, and efficient management.
From switching to optimising: how do we future-proof heat?
The core question is no longer whether we switch to collective heat, but how we do it in a way that is affordable, efficient, and future-proof. The answers are not only found in technical possibilities, but especially in what you do with those possibilities and how you convert information into action and collaboration.
One data stream as the backbone of the heat network
Aurum plays a key role here. With the EnergyGrip platform, Aurum has created an environment in which all links in the heat network, from producer to resident, are connected through one data stream. That stream forms the backbone of the network. It feeds the NOC with real-time insights, enables fault detection and billing, supports installers in their work, and provides residents with transparency about their consumption.
This results in fewer errors and lower costs, but above all, one truth. Everyone works with the same data, the same insights, and the same foundation. This removes noise between stakeholders and creates a new level of collaboration.
Measurable impact: from less heat loss to faster maintenance
The results are tangible and measurable. Heat losses become visible and can be reduced. Maintenance response times improve and complaints decrease. But there is also a less tangible, and equally important, effect: growing trust. Residents see that their heat provider has control over the system. Municipalities know their concessions comply with the Collective Heat Act. Operators can demonstrate that their operations are sustainable, transparent, and responsible.
Increasing pressure demands digitalisation and standardisation
In the coming years, pressure on the heat sector will continue to increase. The Wcw requires data-driven reporting. Municipalities gain more steering power, and society expects both security of supply and further decarbonisation. Only organisations that digitise and standardise their processes will be able to meet these demands.
As a result, EnergyGrip has become more than a tool, it is a strategic foundation. The platform scales with market demand and enables scalable roll-out of district heating networks, from small local grids to regional systems with thousands of connections.
Aurum’s strength: connecting technology and people
Aurum’s strength lies in connecting technology and people. Data is converted into insight, and insight is converted into action through service and operations. The NOC and SOC function as the brains of the heat network. Installers can maintain the system effectively and purposefully, while residents benefit from comfort and the certainty of a managed heat network.
This makes the energy transition tangible: not abstract policy, but concrete steps. Fewer losses. Proactive responses to faults. High-quality data from one source of truth simplifies billing and enables more sustainable use of heat.
Aurum’s vision is clear:
- Every district heating network in the Netherlands deserves the same level of insight and reliability as a modern electricity grid.
- Every resident deserves clarity about their energy consumption.
- Every operator deserves a platform that enables fact-based steering instead of assumptions.
With EnergyGrip, that vision becomes reality: one platform, one truth, one future for district heating, digital, sustainable, and human-centred.
Want to know how your organisation can get smarter with district heating?
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