Aurum is one of the companies in the Netherlands that successfully deploys the Narrowband IoT communication technology. NB IoT enables Aurum and its partners to integrate data of charging stations, gas meters, batteries, heat meters and other energy sources with the databases of energy suppliers. We link them to their back-end system, so billing and forecasting are automated. This results in lower costs for the business operations of suppliers and greater customer satisfaction.
The advantage of Narrowband IoT is its strong reach. The communication technology can reach meters in basements and other difficult to reach locations. In addition, the low energy consumption is a big plus. This makes our measuring equipment small, energy efficient and low maintenance.
Aurums ‘ previous energy management solutions depended on the customer’s Wi-Fi network. From the desire to develop a new service and to be able to keep a closed measuring chain, Aurum tested new connectivity solutions. Narrowband-IoT from Vodafone proved to be the best fit for the issue. The expertise of our partner Vodafone is used to implement the NB IoT across the Netherlands. Sensors in a meter cabinet are connected with Narrowband-IoT and transmit high-frequency data towards the end user. The sensors in the meter cabinet have a large and strong range and low energy consumption, which makes them last up to 10 years.
Aurum is one of the first tech companies to deploy NB-IoT on a large scale
IoT in the energy market
There is a big opportunity for IoT in the energy sector. Where it is now mainly used to enhance user behavior towards energy efficiency, this will be more automated in the future. Aurum CEO Marc de Beijer: “With the solutions of Aurum and Vodafone we are able to make the energy consumption of more and more devices for easily visible. By integrating this information on our platform, we are able to not only measure energy sources but also regulate or switch them. This is important for load-balancing.”
For example, the washing machine is switched on when the sun delivers the most energy and the price of electricity is the lowest. This will also affect the role of energy providers in the future, as prices are becoming a less of a factor for consumers. If we do our job well and use the measurement information of the various sources in the house, consumers will not have to worry in the future about who, when and at what price they receive or deliver energy. That will happen completely automatically based on the measurement data.
Vodafone Whitepaper: The state of IoT in the Netherlands
Vodafone is a knowledge leader and enabler in the field of Narrowband IoT. They have a wonderful collection of cases in which Dutch companies describe how they use IoT. Check out the cases and download the whitepaper ‘The versatility of Narrowband-IoT’ on the Vodafone Business website. (In Dutch).
Because Aurum is one of the few companies in the Netherlands to deploy NB-IoT on a large scale, Vodafone Business made an episode about us. See below the interview of Sander Schimmelpenninck with Aurums ‘ Marc de Beijer. (in Dutch)
NB-IoT becomes a business interest when it provides the entrepreneur with information that allows them to make choices that cost savings
or increase in turnover. For years, Aurum has been using IoT connectivity to gain insight into energy consumption.
Vodafone
in the Whitepaper ‘Narrowband-IoT: geen barrières meer’