Syplon and MeterInsight: data-driven sustainability consulting

For consultancy firms that guide organisations through sustainability transitions, good insight into energy data is indispensable. This also applies to Syplon; an independent housing-management consultancy that advises municipalities and other public organisations on buildings, maintenance, energy and sustainability. In projects around buildings and energy, insight into consumption, feed-in and peak load forms the basis for well-founded advice. Syplon’s Energy and Sustainability team is growing fast. Sustainability used to rest with one person, but a specialised team now works on strategic sustainability plans, energy consulting and monitoring. MeterInsight plays a central role in that development.

“There is no market that changes as fast as the energy market,” says Sieger Beimers of Syplon. “You cannot work with a system that stands still. You have to be able to respond continuously to new legislation, new obligations and changing circumstances.”

**Sieger Beimers** – Senior Energy & Sustainability consultant at Syplon

The challenge: from basic monitoring to strategic insight

For years, Syplon worked with a different monitoring system. It functioned at a basic level, but lacked flexibility, ease of use and ongoing development. As the energy market changed, good insight into energy data became increasingly important, while the system provided for it less and less. The difference with the MeterInsight platform was immediately clear.

“What is essential for us is seeing supply, consumption and feed-in at a glance,” says Beimers. “That overview is crucial if you want to give good advice. If you have to switch between different screens, you lose the overview, and with it the insight.”

Without that overview, it becomes harder to make connections, spot anomalies and make conversations with clients concrete. And that is precisely what becomes more important as energy issues grow more complex.

One of the biggest challenges Syplon currently faces is grid congestion. Organisations want to move away from gas, but often cannot simply do so. “You need to know exactly how much capacity you have available and what your peaks are. That is a real issue,” says Beimers.

The solution: energy insight as the basis for advice

For sustainability questions, Syplon therefore always starts with the data. During advisory meetings the platform is regularly open on screen, with graphs and daily patterns immediately showing what is happening in a building. Energy use is then analysed on the basis of actual peak loads, daily profiles and historical trends from MeterInsight.

From that insight, Syplon determines which measures are realistic, such as deploying a heat pump, upgrading the connection or battery storage for peak shaving. It also becomes clear whether going gas-free is feasible at all. The metering data thus forms the basis for the strategic housing plan. Without that objective basis, sustainability remains an assumption; with the right data, it becomes a well-founded choice.

Batteries and peak shaving as the new standard

Battery storage is rapidly developing from a niche into a necessary part of the energy transition. Syplon sees this in almost every project. “Battery storage is not a hype. It is becoming a standard part of buildings,” says Beimers. For schools and municipal buildings, which have a clear daytime consumption profile, Syplon calculates the required battery capacity based on feed-in and peak load. The use of a battery for peak shaving is also considered, flattening peak loads and using the available capacity more efficiently.

The theoretical calculations are then tested against the actual metering data in MeterInsight. Are the assumptions correct? Do the peaks actually occur at those moments? How large is the feed-in during the summer months? “If you do not have that metering data, you can never make a good battery calculation,” Beimers emphasises.

MeterInsight thus serves not only as a monitoring instrument, but as a means of verification. It shows whether calculated savings and peak-shaving effects actually occur in practice.

Substantiating legislation and compliance with data

Alongside sustainability, legislation plays an ever-larger role. Think of the Dutch information obligation, GACS regulations and mandatory energy monitoring for government buildings.

A concrete example is the information obligation. Previously, only the consumption drawn via the main meter was considered. By adding connections to PV systems, it became visible that actual consumption was higher than expected. “We now have several organisations that thought they were below 50,000 kWh – the threshold for the information obligation – but turn out to be subject to it after gaining insight into their own PV consumption.”

The platform is also used as a baseline measurement for CO2-reduction requirements from provinces. Based on average consumption over several years, Syplon can demonstrate whether a sustainability measure actually delivers the required reduction.

Monitoring as proof of results

The role of data does not stop at the advisory report. After measures have been implemented, monitoring remains essential. It shows whether the intended gas savings are achieved, whether electricity consumption falls as expected and whether the chosen solution is actually effective.

“You want to be able to demonstrate the effect of your measures. We use MeterInsight as the truth to test that.”

By monitoring structurally, Syplon can substantiate its advice and adjust where necessary. That increases not only the technical quality of projects, but also the confidence of its clients.

Looking ahead: developing together in a changing market

Syplon sees the collaboration with MeterInsight as a two-way exchange. New questions around batteries, dynamic contracts and feed-in costs call for further development of scenario and analysis capabilities.

“Precisely because the system is good, you start thinking along about how it can be even better,” says Beimers.

That joint development matches Syplon’s growth ambition. The Energy and Sustainability team is expanding and increasingly seeks coherence between maintenance, projects and data-driven advice. MeterInsight is the central data source for analyses, calculations and strategic choices.

Insight as the basis for sustainability advice

For Syplon, MeterInsight is not a stand-alone tool, but the data-driven foundation for sustainability advice in a complex energy market. The platform supports grid-congestion questions, battery calculations, legislative testing and substantiating CO2 reduction.

By putting actual metering data at the centre, Syplon can help governments and public organisations make realistic choices. Not based on assumptions, but based on insight.