End-to-end IOT solution and energy app Huisbaasje

Consumentenbond chose Aurum as a partner because Aurum offered a one-stop-shop for these specs. Our collaboration is a great example of an A to Z solution that Aurum can build for our customers.

Consumentenbond was looking for a technical partner to co-develop an energy proposition. The largest consumer organisation of the Netherlands saw an increasing demand with its’ members in the area of energy saving around the home. The Consumentenbond wanted to provide households with a tool, independent of smart meters, that would allow that people to bundle all their energy administration in one app. Real-time energy consumption, energy bill predictions, past energy bills and integrated switching service. The energy product was branded as Huisbaasje.

  • Aurum had an off-the-shelve energy monitoring device. Our sensors and communication too fit all type for gas- and electricity meters and can be installed by users themselves.
  • Aurums data platform is compliant with the highest data privacy standards. Our IoT solution sends high-frequency data to our Energy Data Platform via a highly secured communication technology.
  • Aurum could host the energy data.  On our big data platform we developed a separate infrastructure to host large groups of users (members of Consumentenbond). An additional API was made to correspond with the backend systems of Consumentenbond (SAP).
  • Aurum could facilitate the entire fulfillment and customer support.  If a customer orders Huisbaasje in the Consumentenbond online shop, Aurum takes care of the registration, package delivery and onboarding. Aurums’ customer care team also provided full support in case of customer questions.

Together, we can make the dutch energy system more transparent and more sustainable

Since 2016, Aurum and the Dutch Consumers’ Association are collaborating to provide consumers with independent energy advice. There is a high level of uncertainty around smart meters and lack of transparency when it comes to power bills. Additionally there is a growing demand among consumers for sustainable products and services. To support consumers, we jointly developed a new service: Huisbaasje. Users of Huisbaasje benefit from numerous advantages to get insight in their energy use and lower their power bill.

Huisbaasje tracks down energy waste in your home, enabling people to take action and lower your power bill. We average savings of 10% on electricity and 11% on gas. Huisbaasje also secures the best energy contract with the lowest prices. When your current contract end, Huisbaasje sends a notification and searches for a new and better contract. Switching to a new energy supplier is done in-app, at the touch of a button.

User Stories

The Aurum and Consumentenbond project team co-developed the entire proposition. Based on the existing Aurum energy app we designed a new interface with additional features. The energy experts of Aurum and the Consumers Organisation determined which energy information and feedback would be most valuable to the users. These assumptions were tested and validated with a group of test users.

App development

The Huisbaasje app was developed by a project team with a product owner of Consumentenbon, energy experts and back-end developers of Aurum, and a third party app design agency.

New features

Aurum developed an algorithm in order to use limited entries provided by users about their energy tariffs and past bills in order to make a good forecast of the annual bill.  By combining high frequency energy consumption data (sensor measurements) with external data sets (energy prices and CBS statistical data). Another feature we developed was a comparison feature. Users could compare their energy consumption with that of other Dutch households in a comparable house, with a comparable construction year and comparable family size.

Baseload monitor

We developed an algorithm to identify ongoing energy wastage: Baseload. The energy your house uses when you think everything is switched off. This turned out to be one of the most popular features of the app as it allowed for the most energy savings.

Huisbaasje becomes a stand-alone brand

Till the end of 2019, Huisbaasje existed as a sub-brand of Consumentenbond. In December 2019, Huisbaasje was detached and the brand was transferred to Aurum. The energy app now has its’ own website. On this site, people can order Huisbaasje and they can learn about how to start saving on their energy bill. See www.huisbaasje.nl (in Dutch).

We offer the Huisbaasje hardware and app as a whitelabel product. Contact us to learn about the possibilities for your organisation.

I’m using Huisbaasje for a month now. I’m very satisfied, it’s a fantastic app

Bram via E-mail